



Class F 3 a , % 

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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 




































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HISTORY 

of 

Navarro County 


\ By 

Annie Carpenter (Mrs. W. F.) Love 

M 


SOUTHWEST PRESS 
Dallas, T exas 





























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JAN -9 

©CIA 



57827 v 


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Copyright, 1933 

By 

y 

Annie Carpenter (Mrs. W. F.) Love 

















Dedicated to my Father 
Thomas W. Carpenter 
and to my Mother 

Ellen Isaphine (Dickson) Carpenter 

Navarro County Pioneers 


PRINTED IN TEXAS 


Navarro County was so called 
in honor of Jose Antonio Na¬ 
varro, a loyal Texan, who 
played a prominent part in the 
struggle with Mexico and 
who, by honesty and faith¬ 
fulness, won the enduring ad¬ 
miration of all true Texans. 




Jose Antonio Navarro 


















ILLUSTRATIONS 


Jose Antonio Navarro. 9 

Map of Early Texas. 20 

Dickson Home; Indian Springs. 38 

Early Map of Navarro County. 62 

“Old Town Plot” of Corsicana. 66 

Fifth Navarro County Court House. 70 

Post-War Corsicana .110 

Map of Present Navarro County...116 

Corsicana in the Eighties.134 

First Magnolia Petroleum Company Refinery, 

Employes and First Oil Burning Locomotive.154 

Magnolia Petroleum Company Organizers and 

Old Tank Car .156 

Development of Gasoline Transportation.158 

Robinson Home at Dresden.184 

Lisman Home at Chatfield.184 

Hon. Marion Martin.202 

Capt. and Mrs. A. Angus.248 

Roger Q. Mills and Home.260 

George Jester .262 

Mr. and Mrs. T. W. Carpenter.268 





















CONTENTS 


Chapter Page 

I. EARLY TEXAS.15 

Introductory . . . Spanish influence . . . Mexican affiliation 
. . . The Republic of Texas . . . Early colonies . . . Land 
grants . . . Homestead Law. 

II. INDIAN TROUBLES.29 

An account by W. F. Henderson . . . First attempt at sur¬ 
veying . . . Second attempt at surveying . . . Gen. Lane’s 
account. 

III. ORGANIZATION.59 

Annexation of Texas . . . Formation of state constitution 
. . . County organized . . . First county map by Senor An¬ 
tonio Navarro . . . Election of first county officers . . . Re¬ 
port of first Commissioners . . . Old Town plot . . . Immi¬ 
gration . . . Court houses . . . District and County Judges 
. . . Early jurors . . . Early roads. 

IV. YOUNG CORSICANA.79 

Hotels . . . Postmasters . . . Business on the square . . . 
“Mesmerizer Creek” . . . Legal status of Corsicana . . . 
Grasshopper plague . . . Prairie fires. 

V. THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR.95 

Life of early settlers . . . Style of architecture . . . Re¬ 
sourcefulness of Harvey Beeman . . . Description of old 
settler . . . First fair . . . Prosperity followed by Civil 
War . . . Rosters of military organizations . . . Texas re¬ 
admitted to the Union. 

VI. DEVELOPMENT.113 

Farms begin to appear . . . Camp meetings . . . Culture de¬ 
velops . . . Corsicana in 1880 . . . Cattle industry . . . Cot¬ 
ton production increases . . . Early education and schools 








. . . Present school system . . . Financial history . . . Or¬ 
phans’ homes . . . Military organizations . . . Railroads . . . 
Newspapers . . . Fire department history . . . Significant 
facts about oil industry . . . Bar association . . . Religious 
history . . . The Horse and his day . . . Medical history 
. . . Street railway . . . Public library . . Commercial or¬ 
ganizations . . . City government. 

VII. TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY - - - - 181 

Spring Hill . . . Dresden . . . Raleigh . . . Taos or Porter’s 
Bluff . . . Chatfield . . . Wadeville . . . Rural Shade . . . 
Richland . . . Blooming Grove . . . Bazette . . . Cryer Creek 

Kerens . . . Dawson . . . Frost . . . Barry . . . Purdon . . . 

Rice . . . Currie . . . Powell . . . Mildred . . . Winkler . . . 
Cook’s School House and Corbet . . . Retreat . . . Pleasant 
Grove . . . Petty’s Chapel . . . Roane . . . Emhouse . . . 

Pinkston . . . Eureka . . . South Navarro . . . Navarro . . . 

Rodney . . . Brushy Prairie . . . Emmett . . . Angus . . . 
POPULAR NAVARRO COMMUNITIES: Round Prairie, 
Long Prairie, Alligator School House, Black Hills, Farmers, 
Buffalo, Cade, Birdston, Montfort, Pickett, Eldorado, Jes¬ 
ter, St. Elmo, White’s Chapel, Drane, Hester, Tupelo, 
Pursley, Brown’s Valley, Neil’s Valley and Rushing. 

VIII. PIONEER FAMILIES.252 

Readers can appreciate that it has been impossible to col¬ 
lect the name of every pioneer family of Navarro County. 
Therefore any which might not be included have been 
names which did not appear during an exhaustive search 
for all information about Navarro County and its early 
history. 


PREFACE 


The sources from which this work has been compil¬ 
ed are varied. Information has been gleaned from 
such publications as the Southwestern Historical 
Quarterly, official records of Navarro County and in 
the archives of the State of Texas at Austin, the Dal¬ 
las Morning News, the Corsicana Daily Sun, copies of 
the old Corsicana Observer and Navarro Express, Ful- 
more’s History, sketches of Navarro and other coun¬ 
ties. 

An expression of appreciation is made for the as¬ 
sistance given by T. P. Kerr and J. D. Hamilton (de¬ 
ceased) and an acknowledgement of the invaluable co¬ 
operation of my brother, John W. Carpenter. 

Much assistance also came from an appeal by Coun¬ 
ty Superintendent Andrew K. Steele to county teach¬ 
ers to assist in securing historical data. The appeal 
was responded to by Mr. Brinberry of Rural Shade and 
pupils Opal Harris and Ethel Stucker; Maurice 
Keathly, teacher at Jones School and pupil Ona Bell 
Ramage; Miss Christine Woodring, teacher at Em- 
house, and pupils Edward Anderson and Eunice Way; 
J. K. Brim, at Angus, and pupil Corinne Caffy; J. C. 
R. Sanders, at Rice, and pupil Grafton Goodwin; Mrs. 
Mabel Boltz, at Petty’s Chapel; Mrs. Dale Owens, of 
Kerens, and Ellis Head, student. 

Many individuals have furnished authoritative in¬ 
formation. Most sincere thanks are offered to all of 
these. 


CHAPTER I 


Early Texas 

T HE chief incentive to the writing of this history 
of Navarro County has been a wish to preserve, 
in permanent form, a record of the past that it may no 
longer be clouded in ignorance or perplexed by fiction; 
to rescue from oblivion the memories of the pioneers, 
whose heirs we are. 

Much of the prosperity and happiness that we now 
enjoy is due to the struggles and tribulations of our 
forefathers. Every worthy descendant of those gal¬ 
lant and adventurous spirits should feel a strong de¬ 
sire to become more intimately acquainted with their 
history and character. 

A veneration of what has gone before and anticipa¬ 
tion of what is to come are the main factors by which 
man differs from lower animals. It behooves citizens 
of today to teach their children love and respect for 
the pioneers who opened up this great country. 

The State of Texas approximates one thousand miles 
from North to South and about the same distance from 
East to West and its historical romance is further en¬ 
hanced by its physical variations, since within the con¬ 
fines of this great State may be found extremities of 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


climate from the frigid plains of the Northwestern 
Panhandle to the tropical climate of the Rio Grande 
Valley. No other state possesses such a variety. The 
geographical description of Texas is within itself a ro¬ 
mantic volume and the resources are apparently with¬ 
out limitation. 

The name “Texas” is derived from an old Indian 
tribal designation, “Tejas”, or “Tecas”, and authorities 
agree that the word meant “friendly” or “friends”. The 
term was not applied to any specific tribe of Indians 
but embraced ten or twelve tribes, each with a distinc¬ 
tive name, who inhabited the region which now com¬ 
prises approximately the Counties of Cherokee, Rusk, 
Houston, and Nacogdoches. Records indicate there 
were about eight hundred heads of families who culti¬ 
vated the soil, lived in wood houses, and possessed a 
higher order of intelligence than surrounding tribes of 
Indians and these outstanding tribes were generally re¬ 
ferred to under the appellation of the Tejas Indians. 

In 1680 DeLeon and Father Massenet arrived at Ne- 
badache village in what is now the Northeastern part 
of Houston County at the junction of San Pedro Creek 
and the Neches River and established the Mission “San 
Francisco De La Tejas.” DeLeon wrote to the Viceroy 
in Spain, “The Tejas are a well governed people and 
plant large quantities of maize, beans, calabashes, can- 
teloupes and watermelons.” 

The region inhabited by these friendly Indians soon 
became known as the Province of the Tejas and, after 
exploration of about a quarter of a century, this desig- 


16 


EARLY TEXAS 


nation had become so firmly implanted that later desig¬ 
nations did not seem to apply and what is now Texas is 
the outgrowth of the term as originally given to the 
small section of the State inhabited by these friendly 
tribes. At one time Spain endeavored to name the ter¬ 
ritory North of the Rio Grande “New Philipinas” in 
honor of King Philip, but “Texas” had become so fixed 
in the minds of the inhabitants that the name “Nuevas 
Philipinas” soon fell into disuse. The name of Texas has 
come down, not only as a geographical name, embrac¬ 
ing all of the original territory of Texas, but following 
the changes, political and otherwise, has attached it¬ 
self to all of the territory within the present boundary 
of the State. 

During the Spanish dominion, the whole population 
of Texas, exclusive of Indians, did not exceed 5,000 
souls, nor did it exceed that at the time that Anglo 
American settlement began in 1822. 

The Spanish explored and gave names to all of the 
conspicuous features along the gulf shore from Sabine 
Pass to the Rio Grande; islands, bays, passes, all 
streams emptying into the Gulf of Mexico and to many 
of the tributaries as well as to the mountains, trees, 
birds and fishes. 

We have no sounds, inlets, straits, capes and lakes, 
but have passes, points, bayous, lagoons, matagordas, 
and mingled with these are many Indian names. Among 
the trees, we have the Mesquite and Huisache and Yu- 
pon, and among the birds are the Chaparral. 


17 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The names of several counties in Texas were hoary 
with age before Texas began to develop into geographi¬ 
cal significance. These names were probably here be¬ 
fore Columbus discovered America. At any rate Coron¬ 
ado and the followers of DeSoto found them here, with 
a well established identity, fifty years after that event. 

Nacogdoches, Pecos, and Pueblos, are among these 
prehistoric names. The Pecos tribe of Indians had a 
village at the head of the river which now bears that 
name. When Coronado made his expedition the tribe 
had a tradition that it had never been conquered. 

Upon entering Texas the Spanish, being desirous of 
erecting a barrier against the French, English, and 
Americans tried to secure the allegiance of the Indians, 
and introduced to them the customs of civilization. 

As the priests were not able to control the savages, 
missions under the protection of the presidios, thought 
to inspire awe, were built. 

These measures failed to secure the desired result 
and from 1772 to 1788 military discipline was tried. 

For almost twenty years, the Spanish tried to hold 
the Indians to their promised allegiance by a syste¬ 
matic distribution of presents and special trade privi¬ 
leges but at the opening of the nineteenth century the 
Indian problem was more complicated than at the be¬ 
ginning of Spanish occupation. 

After Mexico became a republic the policy toward 
immigration became more liberal and the great current 


18 


EARLY TEXAS 


of oncoming settlers began. As stated before Texas 
had few inhabitants other than Indians and, in the 
years immediately succeeding the Mexican Revolution, 
colonies sprang up and Texas assumed great import¬ 
ance. 

There have been many opinions expressed and many 
explanations made of the various causes which led to 
Texas Independence but the final and vital reason was 
that Texans considered that they were alien subjects 
to an inferior race. 

The revolution passed through two phases: first, a 
defense of Mexico’s Republican Constitution of 1824 in 
an effort to secure the cooperation of Mexican Liberals 
who opposed military despotism. The Texas leaders 
earnestly tried to be loyal to the Mexican government. 
The second was a struggle for absolute independence. 

There were many in the United States who censur¬ 
ed the Texans, but the majority of prominent citizens 
of Texas were former citizens of the United States, of 
Anglo-Saxon origin, and of course had many sympa¬ 
thizers. 

There were many Mexicans opposed to military 
despotism of the leaders, who exerted every effort to 
secure for Texas and Coahuila the rights and privileges 
to which they laid claim but they were unable to turn 
the scale. When it became evident, after repeated 
failures to secure the rights of a state, that the inter¬ 
ests of Texas were secondary and subject to those of 
Coahuila the Texans felt there was no other course pos¬ 
sible, than the one which was pursued. 


19 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


When the revolution by Texas against Mexico began 
there were no political divisions such as counties. 
There were departments and municipalities. There 
were three departments: Bexar, Brazoria, and Nacog¬ 
doches. 

There were eighteen municipalities: Austin, Bexar, 
Brazoria (formerly called Bevil), Liberty, Matagor¬ 
da, Milam (formerly called Viesca), Mina (afterwards 
called Bastrop), Nacogdoches, Refugio, San Augustine, 
San Patricio, Shelby or Teneha, Victoria, and Washing¬ 
ton. Five additional were created by the Provisional 
Council in 1835: Coronado, Jackson, Jefferson, Red 
River, and Sabine. 

The department was ignored as a political unit in 
several conventions, being unsuited to a representative 
form of government. 

Representatives came from the various municipali¬ 
ties, and they were the nucleus of the counties created 
by the First Congress of the Republic of Texas. 

The province from which Navarro County was final¬ 
ly formed, was called Viesca, later Milam, and still la¬ 
ter, Robertson County. 

Texas became a Republic in 1836, and the trickle of 
immigration became a steady flow, which now, almost 
one hundred years later, has not ceased. 

With indomitable spirit the early arrivals hewed 
homes from the wilderness, established a semblance of 
order. Towns were built, roads opened, justice, regu- 


20 
































































































EARLY TEXAS 


lated by law, was administered, and education to the 
utmost extent encouraged, freedom in religion and con¬ 
science was allowed. 

The recognition of Texas as a republic, was acknowl¬ 
edged by the leading nations but many difficulties were 
confronted. It was impossible, with affairs in the 
chaotic state which then prevailed, to do more than to 
meet issues as they arose. In the President’s message, 
to the First Congress of the Republic, he said that the 
Indian situation was very critical and that the mili¬ 
tary forces in the field were far outnumbered by the 
host marching against them, and “were it not that 
there is a vast discrepancy between the military capa¬ 
cities of the opposing armies, the subjugation of Tex¬ 
as would be inevitable, but that discrepancy had con¬ 
stituted an important ground of confidence in their 
success, and it was worthy of all estimation, for it was 
a discrepancy not only of military power, but of moral 
attributes and of political knowledge.” 

Houston’s policy with the Indians was firm yet con¬ 
ciliatory, for while he was opposed to aggression 
against the Indians, he was in favor of sure protection 
of the frontier. In the years following the Texas Rev¬ 
olution many settlements and colonies appeared in the 
new Republic of Texas. 

The year of 1821 saw Mexico throw off the yoke of 
Spain and grant to Moses Austin the right to settle a 
colony in the Province of Texas. 

Four years later, Robert Leftwich was sent from 
21 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Nashville, Tennessee, to procure a contract to settle 
eight hundred families. The territory sought for the 
settlement of the colony was embraced in the follow¬ 
ing bounds: beginning on West bank of the Nava- 
sota Creek at the upper crossing of the San Antonio 
Road, thence Westward with said road to the divid¬ 
ing ridge between the Brazos and Colorado Rivers; 
thence to the ridge of hills Northward to strike the old 
Comanche trail leading to Nacogdoches; thence to Na- 
vasota creek and down the said creek with its mean¬ 
ders to the beginning. It embraced parts of what is 
now Burleson and Brazos Counties, all of Williamson, 
Milam, Falls, McLennan, Bell, Coryell, Limestone, Na¬ 
varro, a part of Hill and small parts of other Counties. 
The date of the contract was April 5, 1825. Leftwich 
died and Sterling Robertson took charge of the com¬ 
pany’s affairs, reorganized the work and established his 
headquarters at a place near where the city of 
Marlin now stands. Robertson County was created 
from Milam December 14, 1837, and as the creating of 
other counties became advisable survey parties were 
sent out and divisions made. In 1838 a party of sur¬ 
veyors were sent out to survey what is now Navarro 
and some adjoining Counties. An account of this sur¬ 
vey will be given further on. 

Since Texas embraces such a wide expanse of terri¬ 
tory it is not surprising that the growth was very slow 
for a number of years. There were no good roads; 
only a few passable trails, no navigable streams of any 
great length; only three good harbors and the means of 
transportation were by sail boat on the gulf or by cart 


22 


EARLY TEXAS 


or wagon. Those who endeavored to travel overland 
found it necessary to cut their way through the wilder¬ 
ness mile after mile or traverse Indian-infested terri¬ 
tory for hundreds of miles. Immigration must of ne¬ 
cessity, therefore, have been slow and tedious and de¬ 
manded from those hardy pioneers a high order of 
patience and fortitude. During the early days of the 
Republic the six hundred miles of Texas border was 
open to attack from Mexico and the frontiers were be¬ 
sieged by the savage Indian but in spite of these hard¬ 
ships and the necessity for building homes in a new 
country and procuring a livelihood from tilling the soil, 
the settlement of Texas continued apace and how 
much was achieved in spite of terrific hardship and 
constant danger! Due no doubt, in part, to the great ex¬ 
ertion necessary to establish a homestead under such 
adverse conditions, the Homestead Law was enacted 
first in Texas, during the Third Congress of the Repub¬ 
lic. This Bill was introduced in the House of Repres¬ 
entatives by * Louis P. Cooke of Brazoria County and 
was first read on December 29, 1838, again on January 
2, 1839, and passed the final reading on January 22, 
1839 without opposition. The author of this law was 
extraordinary in many ways and appears to have been 
a courageous, although somewhat wild and reckless, 
man but his name deserves to be kept from oblivion 
since it is seldom that a man leaves such a broad and 

♦Louis P. Cooke was born in Tennessee and was in the Texan 
war during the years 1836 and 1837. Later was made a lieu¬ 
tenant colonel and elected a member of Texas Congress in 1838. 
Both he and his wife died of cholera in Brownsville in 1849. 


23 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


deep mark upon jurisprudence during so brief a term as 
legislator. 

Between the years of 1842 and 1845 two settlements 
were made in the vicinity of what is now known as 
Navarro County and were designated as Peter's colony 
and Mercer’s Colony. Peter’s Colony, twelve miles 
square, was opened up in 1842 with a settlement on 
Waxahachie Creek, now Ellis County. Several fami¬ 
lies moved there including those of John and William 
R. Howe, Col. J. M. Riggs, James Patton, the Billings¬ 
leys, Sutherlands, Mayfields, and others. W. J. Stokes 
said that with his mother he moved to Texas in 1839. 
His uncle, Thos. I. Smith, who had participated in the 
Revolution of Texas, joined them at Yellow Prairie but 
the Indians stole all of their horses and they came to 
the home of W. R. Howe, who was Smith’s brother-in- 
law. This was in 1844. Wm. Howe must have been 
an energetic man. He hauled his “bread stuff” from 
Buck-Snort, on the falls of the Brazos, eighty or nine¬ 
ty miles away. He was known to have on hand always 
a good meat supply. When finally the committee to 
organize a new county met at Austin his home was 
chosen to house the court until a county seat should be 
selected. Court was held there until 1848 when Wm. 
Howe died. A site was then chosen. 

In Mercer’s Colony there were twenty-five or more 
families living around Spring Hill, Melton or Dresden, 
Pisgah Ridge and Bazette. These communities were 
compact in order to secure protection from Indians and 
rough characters. 


24 


EARLY TEXAS 


The first surveys that were made in the vicinity of 
the present County of Navarro were made by Thomas 
Jefferson Chambers, who, at that time, was superior 
of Texas for Mexico. His salary for the years of 1834 
and 1835 was five sitios of land. Chambers Creek was 
named for his brother who was a lawyer. Several oth¬ 
er large surveys were made at that time in this vicinity 
and the overlapping of claims gave rise to many dis¬ 
putes as to boundaries. These land trials were the 
chief cause of litigation in Navarro for many years and 
were finally settled in 1866 with the Rachel Leach case 
on trial. 

Many land grants were made in Texas after Mexico 
became a Republic. Some of these claims included 
tracts in what later became Robertson County. Others 
were made during the period in which Texas was a Re¬ 
public. 

Owners of some of these claims lived in other states 
but many of them lived in Texas and besides all these, 
hundreds and thousands were turning their thoughts 
and hopes toward Texas. 

As rapidly as the population justified other counties 
were formed. 

Of the groups of settlers in the area of the present 
County of Navarro some were one hundred and twen¬ 
ty-five or more miles from Franklin. With no roads or 
bridges, and the dangers from savages, they began to 
consider ways and means of changing these conditions. 


25 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Of the following names and claims, some were signed 
in Austin and some in Franklin, Robertson County. 

Some of those who had claims in Navarro County in 
those days were as follows: 

John DeArman, 320 acres, headright certi¬ 
ficate, ten miles Northeast of Corsicana, 1850. 

Survey for George W. Dougherty of 1280 
acres, situated on Chambers Creek, a branch 
of Trinity River, being the quantity to which 
he is entitled by virtue of Bounty Land Certi¬ 
ficate No. 6050, issued to him first day of Jan¬ 
uary, 1839, by A. Sidney Johnston, Secretary 
of War. (Page 15, Book A, County Clerk's 
Office.) 

Others who received land grants on Cham¬ 
bers Creek were: 

John Nelston, 1280 acres, 1839. 

Jacob Hendrick, 1280 acres, 1839. 

Joseph Young, 1280 acres, 1837. 

G. A. Allen, 1280 acres, November, 1838. 

Edward Campbell, 1280 acres, August, 1838. 

William Gibson, 1280 acres, 1839. 

Simon Garcia. 

John Carpenter, 960 acres, November 11, 1837. 


26 


EARLY TEXAS 


Richard Newman, 1280 acres, West bank 
of Trinity including Bazette Bluff in 1840. 

Robert Porter, 1-3 of a League on Trinity, 
January 6, 1838. 

Micajah Autry, 1920 acres on Richland 
Creek, 1839. 

N. H. Carroll, 640 acres four miles West of 
Trinity, December, 1837. 

William M. Love, 1-3 of a League, March 16, 
1838. 

Some of the early land warrants made were: 

Robert R. Goodlow, 2-3 of a league of land, 
February 21, 1638; William F. Henderson, 1-3 
of a league West of Trinity River, 1838; David 
Clary, 26 labors of land August 21, 1838, 
West of Trinity and on Richland Creek; Rob¬ 
ertson County school land 25 labors of land 
by virtue of an act of Congress of the Repub¬ 
lic, entitled “act appropriating land for the 
establishment of a general system of educa¬ 
tion/’ Jan. 26, 1839; John Kerr 1/3 of a league 
of land on Chambers Creek, March 19, 1839; 
David Love 640 acres on Richland Creek, “be¬ 
ing the quantity to which he was entitled by 
being in the battle of San Jacinto,” July 28, 
1858; John Pevehouse 640 acres for “being 
in the siege of Bexar,” July 18, 1838; Alphon- 
so Steele 640 acres for “being in Battle of San 
Jacinto,” November 14, 1838; Ethan Melton 


27 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


640 acres on Richland Creek, donation land 
warrant; John White 640 acres on Pin Oak 
Creek, Headright certificate; John Tread¬ 
well, Headright certificate; William Mayfield, 
1280 acres, one mile North Bazette crossing, 
December, 1839; Thomas Wright on Richland, 
22 labors, March 8, 1838; Jefferson McKinney 
paid $2,000 cash to Joseph West for land on 
Richland Creek May 3, 1838. 



28 







CHAPTER II 


Indian Troubles 

S INCE the first written history of incidents, in what 
is now Navarro County, is so interesting it is re¬ 
produced herewith as a clear delineation of one of hun¬ 
dreds of such which the early settler was forced to ex¬ 
pect before he could make for himself a home in this 
strange new outpost of civilization. 

This first record of events occurring in Navarro 
County was of occurrences in the spring of 1838. An 
account of it was published in 1860 in the Navarro Ex¬ 
press, the county paper at that time. The record was 
written by Col. W. F. Henderson, whom many now liv¬ 
ing remember, who died at his home in Corsicana not 
so many years ago. He came with a party of men 
surveying for the State of Texas with the purpose of 
organizing a new county. Following is his description 
of the expedition: 

‘‘Early in the Spring of 1838, having receiv¬ 
ed a deputation to survey and locate land in 
Robertson Land District, I started from a 
point soon after known as Old Franklin with 
about fourteen men and reached Old Parkers 
Fort, or Springfield, then a settlement of 


29 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


about twelve families. The Fort had been 
surprised and violently assaulted the year be¬ 
fore by the Indians, several Indians being kill¬ 
ed, while the wife and children of one of the 
settlers, Mr. Parker, were captured and held 
as prisoners. 

“After waiting there a day or two for Col¬ 
onel Richard Sparks and party of Land Loca¬ 
tors to join us from Fort Houston on the other 
side of the Trinity (now Palestine) we started; 
leaving word for Sparks to follow us, and ran 
a connecting line from the highest point of the 
Navasota River to Pin Oak Creek, striking it 
not far from its mouth where it runs into 
Richland Creek. 

“Just before reaching Pin Oak Creek and 
as I was surveying said line we heard two ri¬ 
fle shots in quick succession. I remarked 
that Holland (a man in my employ) could 
hardly load and fire so rapidly. This aroused 
our suspicion of foul play; however, we sur¬ 
veyed on and reached Pin Oak that night, 
struck camp and with little degree of uneasi¬ 
ness awaited Holland's arrival but he came 
not. Next morning my surveying partner and 
I commenced surveying different tracts. This 
separated our little band in half with several 
miles distance between us in the course of our 
surveying during the day. 

“The following night we met and camped to- 


30 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


gether without any alarming incident having 
occurred to make us apprehend danger from 
hostile Indians except the disappearance of 
Holland which alone should have put us on 
our guard but really we were so hopeful of his 
return that the suspicion of a contrary fate 
did not then arise. 

“The next morning, after nearly starving 
on one turkey to fourteen men, we proceeded 
to work. My other hunter, Rogers, being now 
alarmed would scarcely venture a rod from 
camp, therefore our fare was limited and we 
were solely dependent on game and the exer¬ 
tions of our hunters for our subsistence. 

“The next night brought us all to camp 
with Holland still unheard from, and only one 
turkey again with a little parched corn ground 
fine, sweetened, and flavored with ginger, 
had to suffice. 

“The men became much demoralized at this 
state of affairs and greatly agitated about 
Holland's long continued absence. They came 
to me and said they would positively not stay 
any longer and must return to Springfield. 
We had consultation with Barry who was urg¬ 
ently advised to give up or suspend the trip 
and go with me as I had decided it was advis¬ 
able to go in and useless to continue without 
hands. 

“This proposition met not his approbation 


31 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


and unhappily for him he declined, saying he 
would proceed with the work and that I could 
rejoin him as soon as I had obtained hands in 
Springfield. This I promised to do as early 
as possible and left him and started on foot as 
one of my pack ponies had killed himself by 
stampeding with an ax which became untied 
and cut his leg so severely that he died from 
bleeding. 

‘'We had not gone more than five miles 
from camp, all my men on foot, (except an in¬ 
valid who was riding the only horse left) 
when we beheld some buzzards collected near 
a Cedar ravine. 

“No sooner noticed than I remarked, 
‘There is Holland’s body!’ He was lying 
stripped of all clothing save one sock and so 
much mutilated by the buzzards that we could 
not tell whether he was scalped or not. 

“Upon this sad realization of our forebod¬ 
ings I urged upon my employees the necessity 
of returning to Barry’s Camp both as duty to 
them and the safety of our own party, as we 
had but two guns. 

“But demoralization had set in upon their 
hearts like some terrible disease, only to be 
increased at the awful sight the harrowing 
spectacle of poor Holland’s body presented. 

“They would not consent to my proposi- 


32 


INDIAN TROUBLEb 


tion and nothing was left for me to do but to 
move forward with them. We reached 
Springfield that night. 

“Early the next morning I called for vol¬ 
unteers to go back with me and rescue Bar¬ 
ry’s party. Only two men, (Lamb and Slug- 
lin) volunteered. We hurried back without 
molestation and reached camp that night only 
to find it deserted. We were at a loss what 
to do but hearing the barking of dogs (and 
knowing Barry had two), we followed the dir¬ 
ection and struck camp near ten o’clock on the 
further side of Pin Oak Creek. We found 
them in great consternation at the death of 
Barry who had been brutally killed that eve¬ 
ning by Indians whom Barry had discovered 
a mile distant on the prairie mounted on 
horseback and numbering fifteen. He and his 
three men, mistaking them for Sparks’ party 
attracted their attention by waving their hats 
but alas! from the answering yells and rapid 
charge they were found to be Indians. Then 
ensued a fearful race for life, they being afoot 
and about as far from the timber as the In¬ 
dians were from them. Barry being in bad 
health was overtaken and slain. Being badly 
armed (not more than half of us having 
guns) and having decided to return to Spring- 
field immediately we took advantage of the 
moonlight and like the Arabs of old did we 
fold our tents and silently steal away. 


33 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


“Our party got separated during the night 
but by ten o'clock next morning we all reach¬ 
ed Springfield in safety where we found the 
little settlement in the utmost terror and con¬ 
fusion not only from our disaster but from 
the equally sad return of Sparks' party which 
having reached and left Springfield a few 
days previously had proceeded to and camped 
upon Richland Creek a short distance from 
Pin Oak. They then struck camp and proceed¬ 
ed to send out two men at a time to look for 
us. 


“The second day while all were lying asleep 
in camp (except the two scouting men), they 
were surprised and attacked by Indians. 
Sparks was killed and the rest stampeded 
without horses, guns or provisions. 

“These annoyances from the Indians con¬ 
tinued for a long time and although our plans 
were frustrated after the results of these ex¬ 
peditions we did not give up but in the fall 
made another attempt which proved more dis¬ 
astrous than all.” 

The author of the above historical document played 
a prominent part in the later history of Navarro Coun¬ 
ty. After the organization of the county in 1846 Col. 
Henderson practiced law in Corsicana and was for 
years a familiar figure in the community. His home 
was on what is now Seventh Avenue in Corsicana. His 
son, Calvin, was one of the first white children born in 


34 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


the present confines of Corsicana. Col. Henderson re¬ 
tained his vigor throughout his life. One of his greatest 
pleasures was to sit and talk over the early days with 
old friends during a session at a checker board. 

During the early days of Navarro County the diary 
of any one of the inhabitants would have been very 
liberally interspersed with Indian warfare and Indian 
“scares.” 

One of the most fascinating of the early Navarro 
County frontiersmen was “Buck” Barry. He lived 
in Navarro County several years — and was a 
prominent figure. His home was where the 
present library now stands. He set out the large Bois 
d’Arc trees which still stand between the library and 
the Y. M. C. A. When he moved West A. Duren bought 
the home and reared his family there. In the recent 
volume “Buck Barry—A Texas Ranger” by James K. 
Greer, there are many interesting sidelights on early 
days in the territory which later became Navarro Coun¬ 
ty. He speaks of the fact that between the Trinity 
River and the Falls of the Brazos only three settle¬ 
ments and one Indian trading house were to be found 
but several camps of buffalo hunters, and in the 
same paragraph he mentions the fact that the 
buffalo were in greater numbers along Chambers 
Creek, ten miles below where Corsicana now stands, 
than at any other point in their varied travel. This 
neutral ground abounded in game of all kinds. Indian 
tribes from East and West hunted here, therefore there 
were frequent clashes. 


35 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Until the Anglo-Saxon settlement reached consider¬ 
able proportions the Trinity River was considered the 
line of demarcation between the territory in which the 
whites were welcome and the Indians’ hunting ground 
upon which no white foot could safely tread. This 
neutral ground was, however, particularly dangerous 
to the white man because the Indian tribes were 
always at enmity with one another and each felt the 
white man was a natural enemy and although the 
woodland Indians were supposed to be friendly to the 
whites, with the exception of the Tejas tribes, their 
friendship was somewhat undependable and any real 
or fancied wrong might provoke sudden danger to the 
white settler. The prairie Indian tribes, among whom 
were the warlike Comanches, resented the intrusion of 
the white man from the very first and at all times were 
on the lookout for more scalps to hang to their tent 
poles. 

During the fall of the year the lands west of the 
Trinity River became good hunting grounds and from 
East of the Trinity there came the Cherokees, Shaw- 
nees, Kickapoos, Delawares, Caddoes, Ionies, and Ana- 
darcos to lay their traps and with guns purchased from 
the traders kill sufficient game to last them through 
the winter. From West and South of the Trinity on 
gaily decorated ponies and armed with bows and ar¬ 
rows, and lances came the Tehuacanas, Keechis, Wa- 
coes and Comanches and any white men found in this 
hunting ground were exposed to danger from any or 
all of these tribes whose hunting grounds were en¬ 
croached upon. 


36 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


The Indians felt intense animosity toward the set¬ 
tlers who came to the territory now embraced by Na¬ 
varro County to locate their claims for land given them 
as reward for participation in the revolution of 1836. 
These ex-soldiers formed into groups and usually had 
with them one or more surveyors and surveying instru¬ 
ments and it is easy to see why the Indian was anxious 
to put a stop to this encroachment which had a semb¬ 
lance of permanency and why these early surveying 
parties were met with animosity since the Indian 
realized it was the opening wedge in an effort to 
drive him off his hunting ground and take from 
him his means of livelihood. This feeling brought on 
such conflicts as the report copied in full on the preced¬ 
ing pages and if a complete history of all these conflicts 
were kept they would doubtless afford hundreds of sim¬ 
ilar instances which occurred throughout the central 
part of Texas during the years of early settlement. 

Here is W. F. Henderson’s description of the second 
attempt to survey Navarro County in the fall of 1838: 

“The surveyors headed by W. F. Henderson 
and Walter P. Lane, who afterwards was Maj¬ 
or of Hayes’ regiment in Mexico, Samuel T. 
Allen, Asa Mitchell, John Baker, Euclid Cox, 
James Smith, Thomas Smith, Richard Davis, 

Wm. M. Love, Wm. Jackson, William Trim- 
mier, Rodney Wheeler, and some other men by 
the names of Baker, Violet, Ingram, Neill, 
Jones, Fikes (about 80 years old), Hard, Mc¬ 
Laughlin, Thomas, Barton and Earle made 


37 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


another attempt in October of that same year. 

It is surprising that they were not afraid to do 
this, with so many Indians about and so soon 
after the other disaster, but they had the true 
spirit of the American pioneer and fear seems 
not to have been a part of their equipment. 

“There was no commander but all went 
along either as chain bearers or locators and 
for mutual aid and protection. 

“From Franklin the company, mounted on 
horseback, passed up by Tehuacana Springs 
on the Southwest branches of Richland Creek 
the scene of their labors. On their way they 
met a great many Indians in small squads 
sometimes a half dozen sometimes twenty or 
thirty all of whom professed to be friendly 
but all betrayed by look or gesture a feeling of 
dissatisfaction arising from their opposition 
to the survey of their favorite haunts. 

“On the next morning the work was begun, 
several lines were run, partly in the timber, 
and partly in the prairie, the neighborhood be¬ 
ing divided into both, the country very broken 
with very many deep ravines. 

“The first night was spent in that vicinity 
at the home of Dr. George W. Hill.* The next 
morning they went to work a few miles away. 

♦The home of Dr. Hill was located 150 yards from Indian 
Springs. 


88 



Top: This home now occupied by J. A. Dickson and sister, Mrs. S. E. 
Gray, was built originally as a two-room cedar log house by Mish 
Clary. It was later occupied by Nelson Pittman and finally by the M . 
M. Dickson family. 

Below: The site of Indian Springs {Spring Hill), long since dried up. 



















INDIAN TROUBLES 


The compass proved defective at the outset 
and Henderson dispatched W. M. Love and 
William Jackson back to Parker’s Fort for a 
magnet, reducing the company to twenty-two 
men. While the work was going on in the 
morning squads of Indians were seen in every 
direction moving to and fro, others in appar¬ 
ent consultation. It is strange that such indi¬ 
cations did not alarm the little party but it 
seems they had no idea of an attack up to that 
time. At eleven o’clock they struck fire and 
breakfasted on a spring branch. About fifty 
Kickapoos camped opposite them for the same 
purpose. Some of the latter crossed and told 
Henderson’s party that they would be attack¬ 
ed that day by seventeen Ionies. When the 
survey was renewed they ran a mile into the 
the prairie and while making a corner twelve 
Indians passed through them and one asked in 
English Ts that a mile?’ Another pointing to 
the compass on the staff said Ts that God’s 
eye ?” But all looked displeased. 

“The next line was being run parallel with a 
deep ravine at about eighty yards; the nearest 
timber being about a mile distant, when they 
were fired upon from the ravine—the enemy 
lying under the bank and also concealed by 
the bushes. 

“Without the least confusion, for by now 
the surveyors were convinced there was dan- 


39 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ger, they collected their instruments and form¬ 
ed so as to fall back to the timber. Before this 
movement began, however, the Indians 
appeared from every direction and immediate¬ 
ly surrounded them and poured bullets and 
arrows among them on all sides yet at such a 
distance as to do little execution. The sur¬ 
veyors fighting their way bore for the tim¬ 
ber but when a few hundred yards from it 
they discovered that it was already infested 
by about two hundred of the enemy. They 
then bore off obliquely to a ravine in the 
prairie and succeeded in making a lodgment 
just before the junction of the two ravines 
skirted by small bushes. Immediately at the 
point of the junction stood a Cottonwood tree 
and about eighty yards below them there was 
water and several trees but the enemy had 
made the position in advance of them. While 
on the retreat to this point the party in the 
midst of the bullets and arrows held an elec¬ 
tion and chose Neill as their commander. It 
was now about one o'clock p. m. Twenty-two 
men in a small ravine in the open prairie were 
surrounded by at least three hundred Tehua- 
canas, Ionies, Wacoes, Caddoes and Kicka- 
poos. Soon after reaching the position Neill 
was wounded and disabled and at his request 
Cox was made Captain. 

“A general fire was kept up on all sides 
but the chief execution was done by Indians 


40 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


climbing the trees below and getting fair view 
of our men. In this way every little while 
someone was either killed or wounded. Cox 
was a resolute man and seeing the necessity 
of dislodging the enemy from the trees took an 
exposed position on the bank behind the lone 
Cottonwood tree. He was killed and again the 
band had no leader but it was mutually agreed 
that all would stay together and each man use 
his own discretion in the defense. When Cox 
fell the Indians rang a shout of exultation and 
the body made a charge but they met such a 
deadly fire from rifles and pistols they fell 
back, yet again and again amid hideous yells 
they made charges up first one bank then an¬ 
other and as often were driven back with 
killed and wounded. During this state of the 
engagement about fifty Indians on horseback 
made their appearance on a ridge about two 
hundred and fifty yards distant occasionally 
beckoning the Americans and calling to them 
‘Kickapoos good Indians, come to Kickapoos/ 
This was believed to be a ruse to decoy them 
but the old man, Fikes, exhausted and unable 
to fight determined to test their sincerity 
saying that his days were few at best. He 
mounted and rode toward them but was kill¬ 
ed, whether by some of the others our men 
could not tell. 

“Davis being badly wounded pursued the 
same course and shared the same fate. In this 


41 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


manner the fight continued till eleven o'clock 
at night one charge after another followed by 
a repulse, many an Indian being killed and our 
party suffering considerably also. Twelve 
hours of intense and laborious excitement with 
increasing numbers of the enemy, the suffer¬ 
ing for water, and the certainty of final an¬ 
nihilation in that position had brought the gal¬ 
lant fellows to a state of desperation. A re¬ 
treat of a mile through the prairie in the 
bright moonlight was the only alternative. 
Most of them must fall but possibly a few, 
probably none, might escape. Ingram, Jones, 
Violet, Thomas Smith and John Baker were 
wounded up to this time in addition to the 
slain. They were mounted on horse and sur¬ 
rounded by the remainder on foot and thus 
trusting to stout hearts and a soldier’s God 
they left the ravine and surrounded by three 
hundred Indians afoot and on horse and amid 
the most deafening yells they slowly advanc¬ 
ed but with firm resolve of brave hearts to¬ 
ward the nearest timber which skirted anoth¬ 
er of those ravines peculiar to that region. 

“One by one their number was reduced by 
death. Ingram wounded before the retreat 
was shot in the head and fell from his horse. 
When they reached the timber but seven of 
the original number were alive. John Baker 
and James Smith escaped together at this 
point, eluded pursuit and got into the falls of 


42 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


the Brazos. McLaughlin, a youth, instead of 
leaving the ravine with his brave comrades 
secreted himself in some bushes and when the 
Indians pursued the others he fled down the 
stream and finally reached the settlements on 
the Trinity boasting of his shrewdness. 

“On reaching the timber Henderson, Lane, 
Violet and Barton still clinging together fell 
into a dry branch and were hidden from their 
pursuers by continuous bushes. Here they 
lay in silence for an hour during which time a 
portion of the enemy continued their yells 
around them but finally retired and all was 
still as death. To remain till daylight was 
certain death. Violet was so badly wounded 
that he could only walk by the aid of one man 
one of his legs being powerless. By persever¬ 
ance they descended the branch some two 
miles and in a thicket found some water. Pain¬ 
ful as it was, Violet was left there with a 
solemn promise that if the others should get 
in, relief would be hastened to him. The other 
three, Henderson, Lane and Burton had but 
two guns, two pistols and one Bowie knife left. 
They traveled till daylight in their measured 
pace, Lane resting an arm on each of his com¬ 
panions. They lay concealed all the next day 
without water. On the second day and third 
night having become bewildered and their 
tongues parched they traveled over hill and 
dale they knew not whither but no water was 


43 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


found. On the next day with swollen tongues 
and parched lips they suddenly came upon six 
Kickapoo Indians. By this time their clothes 
were torn in shreds, their emaciated bodies 
were covered with blood and Lane could not 
articulate while Henderson and Barton were 
not much better. Five of those Indians look¬ 
ed on them with frowns and asked how they 
came to be in such a situation to which they 
replied with some deception that they had 
fought with the Ionies. Henderson discover¬ 
ed an expression of compassion from the other 
Kickapoo and offered him his Bowie knife to 
take them to water. The noble son of the 
Forest looked compassionately upon him and 
lighting his pipe handed it to Henderson add¬ 
ing ‘Kickapoo good Indian, smoke with Kick¬ 
apoo.’ He then led them about five hundred 
yards and imagine their joy at beholding that 
lucious fountain of nature, the celebrated Te- 
huacana Springs. 

‘‘After indulging in this beverage and 
some meat prepared by the Indians, Hender¬ 
son offered him his gun, all he had left, if he 
would allow Lane to ride his horse and pilot 
them to Parker’s Fort. He promptly accepted 
the offer and faithfully performed his engage¬ 
ment. They got in the next morning. With 
poor Violet this sketch, already too long, 
shall close. 

“A party piloted by William Love was at 


44 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


once sent to the poor fellow and fortunately 
they touched at Tehuacana Springs also and 
what must have been their surprise to find 
the sufferer there! Incredible as it may ap¬ 
pear he had crawled on his hands and feet and 
by a mysterious Providence he had just 
reached the springs, when his deliverers ar¬ 
rived. He was taken in and finally recovered. 
The little stream at the extreme head of 
which this bloody tragedy occurred has been 
made to perpetuate it through the significant 
name of ‘Battle Creek.' 

“As soon as these men got to Franklin the 
news was spread and by next morning fifty 
men piloted by William Love started to the 
scene of the disaster. They supplied Violet 
with all possible help and went to the battle 
ground to bury the dead and to see if they 
could find any more wounded. When they 
reached the place the wolves had stripped the 
flesh off the bones and they were gathered to¬ 
gether and buried." 


An account from the memoirs of Gen. W. P. Lane 

“A surveying party was being formed at 
Franklin, Robertson County, in October, 1838. 

I went with William Love and others from San 
Augustine to join it; all of us having lands 
to locate. We organized at Franklin, twenty- 
three of us, electing Neil as captain, Hender- 


45 



HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


son being our surveyor. We started via Park¬ 
er’s Fort for Richland Creek where we intend¬ 
ed to make our location. The second day we 
camped at Parker’s Fort which was then va¬ 
cated having been stormed a few months be¬ 
fore by a body of Comanches who murdered 
all the inhabitants or carried them off in capti¬ 
vity, the two historical Parker children being 
among the number. We passed Tehuacana 
Hill on our way to Richland Creek and cross¬ 
ed through a dense thicket to the other side 
of the Creek and encamped about a mile on 
another stream (later called Battle Creek) 
where we would commence operations. 

“We found there some three hundred 
Kickapoo Indians with their squaws and pap- 
pooses who had come down from their reser¬ 
vation in Arkansas to lay in their supply of 
dried buffalo meat for the country then 
abounded with any amount of game and from 
the hills you could see a thousand buffalo at 
a sight. 

“The Indians received us kindly as a great 
many of them spoke English. We camped by 
them three days going out in the morning 
surveying and returning in the evening to 
camp to procure water. 

“The third morning at breakfast we ob¬ 
served a commotion in the camp of our neigh¬ 
bors. Presently the Chief came to us and re- 


46 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


ported to us that the Ionies (a wild tribe) 
were coming to kill us. We thanked them for 
the information but said we were not afraid 
of the Ionies and said that if they attacked 
us we would ‘clean them out' as they had noth¬ 
ing but bows and arrows anyway. 

“They begged us to leave saying that if the 
Ionies killed us it would be laid on them. We 
refused to leave but asked the Chief why, as 
he took so much interest in our welfare, he 
could not help us whip the Ionies? He said 
they could not do that as his tribe had a 
treaty with the Ionies. He begged us feel¬ 
ingly to go but as we would not do so they 
planned a little surprise for us. 

“They knew where we had made a corner 
the evening before and knew that we would go 
back there to commence work, so they put one 
hundred men in a ravine we had to go by. We 
started out from our camp to resume our work, 
several of the Indians going with us. One of 
them stuck to me like a leech and succeeded 
in begging a piece of tobacco from me. Then 
shaking hands with me he crossed the ra¬ 
vine within fifty yards from his friends who 
were lying in ambush for us. We got opposite 
to them not suspecting any danger when 
about forty arose from the ravine and fired 
into us, killing some of our horses and wound¬ 
ing some of our men. Captain Neil ordered us 


47 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


to charge them which we did and routed 
them out of the ravine when they fell back on 
a small skirt of timber fifty yards off from 
which sprang up one hundred and fifty In¬ 
dians and confronted us. 

“We retreated back into the Prairie. The In¬ 
dians mounted their horses and surrounded 
us and went ’round us in a circle firing into us. 
We got to the head of the ravine in the Prairie 
and took shelter in it. The Indians put a force 
out of gun shot to watch us while their main 
force went below about eighty yards where the 
ravine widened and they had the advantage 
of the brush. They opened fire on us and 
shot all our horses except two which were be¬ 
hind a bush to make sure that none of us 
should escape. 

“The Indians had no hostility towards us 
but knew we were surveying the land, that 
white people would soon settle there and break 
up their hunting grounds so they wanted to 
kill us for a double purpose—none would be 
left to tell on them and it would deter others 
from coming into that section of country sur¬ 
veying. 

“Each commenced firing into the other up 
and down the ravine, we sheltered by nooks 
and they by brush on their part. Euclid Cook 
got behind the only tree on the bank firing at 
them. When exposing himself he was shot 


48 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


through the spine. He fell away from the 
tree and called for some of us to come and 
pull him down into the ravine. I dropped my 
gun and ran up and pulled him down. He was 
mortally wounded and died in two hours. 

“We fought all day without water waiting 
for night to make our escape but when night 
came also came the full moon making it al¬ 
most as bright as day. Up to this time we 
had several killed and some badly wounded. 
We waited till near twelve o’clock for the moon 
to cloud over but as it did not we determined 
to make a break for Richland Bottom. We put 
our four worst wounded men on the two re¬ 
maining horses. As we rose upon the bank 
the Indians raised a yell on the prairie and all 
rushed round us in a half circle pouring hot 
shot into us. We retreated in a walk wheel¬ 
ing and firing as we went and keeping them 
at bay. 

“The four wounded men on horseback were 
shot off and we put other badly wounded 
ones in their places. We got within two hun¬ 
dred yards of the timber facing round and fir¬ 
ing when Captain Neil was shot through the 
hips. He called to me to help him on a horse 
behind a wounded man, which another man 
and I did. We had not gone ten steps further 
when Neil, the w r ounded man and the horse 
were all shot down together. I was shot 


49 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


through the calf of the leg splitting the bone 
and severing the leaders connected with my 
toes. I fell forward as I made a step but I 
could support myself on my heel. I hobbled 
on with the balance to the mouth of the ra¬ 
vine which was covered with brush into which 
four of us entered and the other three took 
the timber on the other side. We had gone 
about fifty yards down the ravine where it 
was dark and in the shade when I called to 
Henderson to stop and tie up my leg as I was 
bleeding to death. He did so—cut off the tip 
of my boot—and bandaged the wound. We 
saw about fifty Indians come to the mouth of 
the Ravine but they could not see us as we 
were in the shade as we went down the ra¬ 
vine. They followed and overtook our wound¬ 
ed comrade whom we had to leave and killed 
him. We heard him cry out when they shot 
him and knowing that they would overtake us 
we crawled on the bank of the ravine and lay 
down on our faces with our guns cocked ready 
to give them one parting salute if they discov¬ 
ered us. They passed so closely that I could 
have put my hand on any of their heads. They 
went down the ravine a short distance when 
a Conch shell was blown on the prairie as a 
signal for the Indians to come back. 

“After they had passed us we went down to 
Richland Creek where we found a little pond 
of muddy water into which I pitched head for- 


50 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


ward having suffered all day without water 
and also from loss of blood. We here left 
Violet, our wounded comrade. His thigh was 
broken and he could crawl no further then. 
He begged me to stay with him as I was bad¬ 
ly wounded and as he said could not reach the 
settlements, some ninety miles distant. I 
told him I was bound to make the connection 
so we bound up his thigh and left him near 
the water. 

“We traveled down the creek Til daylight, 
then ‘cooned’ over the dry creek on a log so 
as to leave no track in the sand to a little isl¬ 
and of brush where we lay all day long. In 
the morning we could hear the Indians riding 
up and down looking for us. They knew our 
number, twenty-three, and seven had escap¬ 
ed. They wished to kill all so that it could not 
be charged to their tribe. 

“We started at dusk for Tehuacana Hills 
twenty-five miles away. When I rose to my 
feet after lying all day in the thicket the 
agony from the splinters of bone in my leg 
was so severe that I fainted. When I recover¬ 
ed consciousness and before I opened my eyes 
I heard Burton tell Henderson that they had 
best leave me as I could not get on and would 
greatly encumber them. Henderson said we 
were friends and had slept on the same blan¬ 
ket together and he would not leave me. He 
would stick to me to the last. I rose to my 


51 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


feet and cursed Burton both loud and deep 
telling him he was a white-livered Plebeian 
and in spite of his one hundred and fifty 
pounds I would lead him to the settlement, 
which I did. 

“We traveled nearly all night but next day 
got out of our course by following buffalo 
trails that we thought would lead us to water. 
The country was so dry that the earth was 
cracked open. On the third day after the 
fight we sighted Tehuacana hills. We got 
within six miles of it when Burton sat down 
and refused to go any further saying he would 
die there. We abused him and sneered at him 
for having no grit and finally got him to the 
spring. We luckily struck the water one hun¬ 
dred yards below the spring where it crossed 
a weedy marsh and was warm. Just as we 
got in sight of the water ten Indians rode up 
to us. I saw they were Kickapoos. They ask¬ 
ed us what we were doing and I told them we 
had been out surveying but had a fight with 
the Ionies and got lost from our comrades 
who had gone another way to the settlement. 
They wanted to talk longer but I said ‘water! 
water!’ The Chief said ‘There is water/ I 
made for it and pitched head foremost into 
the weeds and water on my face and drank 
till I could hold no more. Luckily for me the 
water was warm. If I had struck the spring 
above, the water would have killed me. Hen- 


52 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


derson and Burton were above me in the wa¬ 
ter. In a short time they called me. I heard 
them but would not answer. I was in the wa¬ 
ter covered by weeds and felt so happy and 
contented I would not have answered for any 
consideration. Henderson and Burton got un¬ 
easy about me as I did not answer and came 
down the bank to find me. An Indian saw me 
in the water and weeds and waded in and 
snaked me out. I asked the Chief what he 
would take to carry me to a settlement on a 
horse. He looked at me (I was a forlorn ob¬ 
ject suffering from hunger and want of water, 
my eyes were sunk nearly to the back of my 
head) and said ‘Maybe so you die tonight'. I 
told him ‘No’ unless he killed me. He replied 
‘No kill’. He asked ‘Want eat?' We said 
‘Yes'. He answered ‘Maybe so. Camp in 
two miles. Come go. Squaws got something 
to eat’. He helped me on a horse and we went 
to camp. The women saw our condition and 
would give us only a little at a time. They 
gave us a wooden bowl of soup composed of 
dried Buffalo meat, corn and pumpkins all to¬ 
gether. Green turtle soup with all its spicy 
condiments dwindles into insignificance when 
compared to my recollection of that savory 
broth. When we handed back our bowls for 
more they said ‘Bimeby\ They waked us up 
twice during the night and gave us more. 
They understood our condition, knew that we 


53 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


were famished and to have given us all we 
wanted at one time would have killed us. We 
slept till next morning when we wished to 
start, knowing that at any moment a runner 
might come into camp and tell them that it 
was their tribe that had attacked us and as we 
were the only ones that could incriminate 
them we must be killed. I traded a fine rifle 
of Henderson’s for a pony and saddle but 
when I started to mount him a squaw stopped 
me and said ‘No, my pony.’ I appealed to the 
Indian who looked at me ruefully and said 
‘Squaw’s pony’ showing that “Petticoat Gov¬ 
ernment” was known even by the Kickapoos. 

“We started on foot, my leg paining me se¬ 
verely. We had gone about three miles when 
six Indians galloped up to us on the prairie. I 
told my comrade our time had come. We got 
behind two trees determined to sell our lives 
dearly. They rode up saying ‘Howd’y? We 
want to trade guns’, showing an old dilapi¬ 
dated rifle to trade for our good one. We soon 
found out it was trade or fight so we swap¬ 
ped with the understanding that they would 
take us to Parker’s Fort, about twenty-five 
miles, on pony, which they agreed to do. An 
Indian went with us the balance going back 
and taking the rifle. 

“We got near the Fort in the morning when 
Burton proposed to Henderson to shoot the In¬ 
dian who was unarmed and I could ride to the 


54 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


settlement. Henderson indignantly refused 
and I told Burton that rather than betray 
confidence I would walk on one leg. Five 
minutes later I heard a gun fired to the right. 
We asked the Indian what it meant. He re¬ 
plied ‘Cosette, Kickapoo Chief, camp here.' So 
if we had shot the Indian we would have 
brought down a hundred to see what it meant. 
He then told me ‘Maybe so you get down, 
yonder is Parker's Fort. Me go to Cosette's 
camp'. I did so. We struck the Navasota be¬ 
low the Fort and waded down stream a mile 
fearing the Indians would follow us. We cross¬ 
ed in the night and went out some three miles 
in the prairie and slept. The Indians that 
morning had given us as much dried Buffalo 
meat as we could carry so we had plenty to 
eat on our way. We traveled all next day and 
part of the night having got on the trail that 
led to Franklin. We started the next morning 
before day. Going along the path, I in the 
lead, we were hailed, ordered to halt and tell 
who we were. I looked up and saw two men 
with their guns leveled on us about forty 
yards off. I answered ‘We are friends, white 
men'. I didn't blame them much for the ques¬ 
tion for I was in my shirt and drawers, with 
a handkerchief tied 'round my head, having 
lost my hat in the fight, and they thought we 
were Indians. They proved to be my old 
friends, William Love and Jackson, who had 


55 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


left our party some six days before for the 
settlement to get us another compass. They 
were horrified when we told them of the mas¬ 
sacre. They put us on their horses and re¬ 
turned with us to Franklin, a distance of some 
fifteen miles. The news spread over the neigh¬ 
borhood like wildfire. By the next morning fif¬ 
ty men were raised and, piloted by Love, start¬ 
ed for the scene of our disaster. I had been 
placed in comfortable quarters at Franklin and 
kindly nursed and attended by sympathetic la¬ 
dies. Henderson and Burton bade me good¬ 
bye and went to their respective homes. 

“We told Love’s party where we had left 
Violet with his thigh broken and asked them 
to try to find him. The party got to Tehua- 
cana Springs and being very thirsty threw 
down their guns to get a drink. Violet who 
had seen them coming across the prairie 
thought they were Indians and secreted him¬ 
self in the brush close by but when he heard 
them talk and found that they were white men 
he gave a yell and hobbled out saying, 'Boys, 
I’m mighty glad you’ve come!’ He came near 
stampeding the whole party they thinking it 
was an Indian ambuscade. Poor Violet after 
we left him in Richland Creek bottom stayed 
there three days subsisting on green haws and 
plums. Getting tired he decided to make for 
Tehuacana Hills as he knew the course. He 
splinted and bandaged his thigh as best he 


56 


INDIAN TROUBLES 


could and then struck out. He got there after 
a day and night’s travel. Being nearly fa¬ 
mished he looked around for something to 
eat. In the spring which was six feet 
across he saw a big bullfrog swimming around. 
Failing to capture him he decided to shoot 
him. He pulled down on him with a holster 
pistol loaded with twelve buckshot and the 
proportional amount of powder. Having his 
back to the embankment, down which the wa¬ 
ter ran, the pistol knocked him over senseless 
breaking the ligature which bound his thigh. 
He remained insensible, he thought, about two 
hours. When he became conscious he bandag¬ 
ed his leg again as well as he could and crawl¬ 
ed up to the spring to look for the frog. He 
found one hind quarter floating around, the 
balance having been blown to flinders. Being 
very hungry he made short work of that. In 
a few hours after that Love’s party came up 
and supplied him with all he wanted. They 
left him there until their return they going 
up to the battle ground to bury the dead and 
see if they could find any more wounded. 

‘‘When they got there they found the bones 
of all our killed, the flesh having been stripped 
off by the wolves. They also found, much to 
my satisfaction, eighty piles of green brush in 
the lower part of the ravine from which the 
Indians were firing at us during the day and 
under each pile of brush was a copious quantity 


57 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


of blood which proved that we had not been 
fooling our time away during the day. 

“The company returned to Franklin bring¬ 
ing Violet with them. He recovered from his 
wound.” 

The grave had been marked by stones and for many 
years was a sacred spot and kept in memory by those 
who were citizens in Navarro and the story was kept 
in the minds of the young by frequent repetition but 
time passed swiftly by, each one busy with the affairs 
of life, and the memories of those brave men grew dim 
until the son of one of the men who had not forgotten 
erected a monument to the men buried there. This 
was John P. Cox who at that time, fifty years after the 
tragedy, was County Clerk of Navarro County. The 
names of the dead buried there are on the stone. The 
grave is in a field just a mile or so out Northwest of 
Dawson. 

It was a tragic chapter in the history of the county 
and was a part of the price paid for this present pros¬ 
perous and happy country. 

About a year after this, a battle with the Indians 
was fought with Captain Chandler and Lieutenant 
William Love heading about forty Texans. This was a 
running fight and was continued for about ten miles. 
A number of the Indians were killed while the Texans 
lost only one man. At the beginning of the engage¬ 
ment the Indians began to retreat and ran to their en¬ 
campment which was stormed by the Texans. Nearly 
four thousand dollars worth of property was re-captur¬ 
ed. 


58 


CHAPTER III 


Organization 

A S soon as Texas achieved independence the citizens 
began to talk of and advance arguments in favor 
of annexation to the United States. On any subject so 
important, however, it was natural that differences of 
opinion existed and many acrimonious debates and 
much impassioned oratory were expended both in Tex¬ 
as and in various parts of the country on the subject 
of annexation of Texas to the United States of Amer¬ 
ica. Mexico continued to claim title to Texas and, 
since the United States had signed a treaty of friend¬ 
ship with Mexico, it was natural they hesitated to vio¬ 
late these covenants or make the initial step toward 
annexing a part of the country which was so embroil¬ 
ed in political dissension, particularly when this meant 
saddling onto the United States government the debt 
owed by the Republic of Texas. The question of slav¬ 
ery also entered into the discussion and there was 
much argument as to whether or not Texas would en¬ 
ter the Union as a free state or a slave state. There 
is no doubt but that a majority of the inhabitants in 
the Republic of Texas were in favor of annexation, but 
lack of means of travel and poor facilities of exchang¬ 
ing mail meant that, with the inexperienced diplomats 
and lack of coordinated management, this sentiment 


59 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 

could not readily crystalize. Lecturers and spell-binders 
were sent into different states and popular sentiment 
was aroused to the point where James K. Polk was 
elected President on the platform which included a fa¬ 
vorable attitude toward the annexation of Texas. 
George M. Dallas was elected Vice President and his 
name is indelibly written in the annals of Texas by 
having one of the chief cities of the State named in his 
honor. 

On April 12, 1844, the Treaty of Annexation was 
signed and on the 4th of June, the following year, the 
President of Texas, Anson Jones, issued a proclama¬ 
tion calling attention to the fact that inhabitants of 
Texas now had the choice of remaining as an inde¬ 
pendent Republic since Mexico had recognized the in¬ 
dependence of Texas on June 2, of that year; or the in¬ 
habitants might vote in favor of annexing to the Uni¬ 
ted States as one of the members of the great Ameri¬ 
can Union. A convention was assembled at Austin on 
July 4. Terms of annexation were ratified, a constitu¬ 
tion for the new State was formed and the assembly 
was adjourned on August 22. Under this constitution, 
an election was held on the third Monday in December 
of 1845 to name a Governor, Lieutenant Governor and 
members of the Legislature. 

One of the first acts of the First Legislature was to 
create new counties in order to establish a more com¬ 
pact form of government and to take into considera¬ 
tion the rapid increase in population and at this first 
meeting, on April 25, 1846, the following law was 
enacted: 


60 


ORGANIZATION 


“That all that portion of the County of Rob¬ 
ertson included within the following bounds 
be, and the same is hereby erected into a new 
County, to be called and known by the name of 
Navarro, to-wit: beginning on the East bank 
of the Brazos River, at the Northwest corner 
of Limestone County, and thence, with the line 
of said County to the Trinity River; thence up 
said River to the line of Dallas County; 
thence, West to the corner thereof; thence, 
North with the line of said Dallas County to 
the old Southern boundary of Fannin County; 
thence West to the Brazos River, and thence 
down River to the place of beginning. 

“Sec. 2. Be it further enacted, that said 
County of Navarro, as to the right of repre¬ 
sentation, shall be considered as a part of the 
County of Robertson, until entitled by num¬ 
bers, to the right of separate representation. 

“Sec. 3. Be it further enacted that until 
the seat of justice shall be permanently estab¬ 
lished, as hereafter provided by law, the tem¬ 
porary seat of justice shall be at the residence 
of W. R. Howe and all courts shall be held 
thereat. 

Organization of Navarro County was forwarded by a commit¬ 
tee composed of C. M. Winkler, Thos. I. Smith, D. R. Mitchell, 
J. C. Neil, E. H. Tarrant, Jacob Eliot and William Love. This 
committee received much assistance from Jose Antonio Navarro 
and recognized it by naming the county in his honor. In addi¬ 
tion, the county seat was named in honor of the home of his 
parents—Corsica. 


61 


HISTORY OF NAVARRQ COUNTY 


“Sec. 4. Be it further enacted that this Act 
take effect and shall be in full force from and 
after its passage.” 

(*Approved April 25, A. D., 1846). 

Navarro County was so called in honor of Jose An¬ 
tonio Navarro, a loyal Texan, who played a prominent 
part in the struggle with Mexico and who, by honesty 
and faithfulness, won the lasting respect of all true 
Texans. 

Senor Navarro was bom in San Antonio in 1795, and 
therefore would have been about forty years of age, 
when Texas independence was declared. Don Angel 
Navarro, the father of Jose Antonio Navarro, was bom 
in Corsica in 1789. He came to America to settle 
in what is now San Antonio, and engaged in the mer¬ 
cantile business at that place for many years. Jose An¬ 
tonio was given as good an education as pioneer 
schools afforded. He became a lawyer and was respect¬ 
ed by all of his friends, among whom he numbered 
Stephen F. Austin. 

Senor Navarro married Margarita De La Garza in 
1825, and of their several children, two sons were of¬ 
ficers in the Confederate Army. 

Jose Antonio Navarro served in the Congress of Coa- 
huila, and in that of the Republic of Texas. After 
Texas became a State in the Union he was again elect¬ 
ed to a place of honor. 

♦Gammers Laws of Texas. 


62 



The map of Navarro County, as first organized in 1846 , copied from 
J. de Cordova’s map of Texas. This map was accepted by state offi¬ 
cials at Austin on July 6, 1848 . 






































































































ORGANIZATION 


At one time during the revolution, he was captured 
and imprisoned for several years but even under this 
trying ordeal he maintained a dignity which endeared 
him to all who knew him. He died at the age of seven¬ 
ty. Navarro County was named in his honor parti¬ 
cularly due to the kind assistance which he gave to the 
committee engaged in forming the county, and to fur¬ 
ther eulogize him the county seat was called Corsicana, 
in honor of the native land of his ancestors—Corsica. 

The picture of Senor Navarro is a copy from a photo¬ 
graph from which a life size portrait was painted by a 
distinguished artist, and which was presented to Na¬ 
varro County by Hon. Richard Mays, a prominent Cor¬ 
sicana lawyer. 

The painting hangs in the Navarro County district 
court room. 

The first election of county officers in Navarro 
County was in July, 1846, at which time Dr. John A. 
Young was chosen as Chief Justice, as a county judge 
was then called: James A. Johnson, sheriff, with Wm. 
A. Ladd, Isaac Hartzell, Wm. Browning, bondsmen; 
Eleas Rogers, assessor and tax collector; Ethan Mel¬ 
ton, treasurer; W. B. M. Nicholson, (did not serve 
long), district clerk; R. N. White, county clerk; Isaac 
Cline, constable beat No. 2; Thos. A. Ward, land com¬ 
missioner at Austin. 

Dr. John Young died soon after, and Gen. E. H. Tar¬ 
rant, filled that place, and Col. Riggs was district clerk. 


63 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


By Act of the Second Legislature, a committee com¬ 
posed of Thos. I. Smith, Wm. F. Henderson, Ethan 
Melton, James Johnson, and James M. Riggs, was ap¬ 
pointed to select a spot near the “old Richardson Set¬ 
tlement” on which to locate a seat of justice. There 
were several log houses, all of them empty, scattered 
along from the present site of the Orphans Home 
(where John Richardson lived at that time) to the 
present site of the square. Hampton McKinney had 
already moved into one of the houses but when it was 
chosen he lifted his headright and took his land at an¬ 
other place. 

In 1848, when the Richardson Settlement was chos¬ 
en many, under the leadership of Gen. Tarrant,* ob- 

* General Tarrant was born either in Tennessee or North Caro¬ 
lina, and while still a youth joined frontier forces of Andrew 
Jackson to fight Indians. He was an outstanding figure in the 
Battle of New Orleans in 1815, fought after peace already had 
been declared in America’s second war with England. 

He came to Texas in 1835, but little is known of his life dur¬ 
ing the intervening years. He joined the forces warring against 
Mexico and later the Texas rangers. He became commander of 
the Northwestern Texas frontier region, battling hostile savages 
and outlaws. In 1838 he was elected to represent the Red River 
district in the Congress of the Texas Republic, but soon resigned 
to take up his command of the rangers. Three years later he 
led a small detachment in a bloody skirmish with a band of pil¬ 
fering Indians on Village Creek, near where the Fort Worth- 
Dallas pike crosses the stream. The fight, in which the white 
men were victorious, broke the Indians’ power in this section of 
the Southwest. 

As he grew older and no longer could endure the hardships of 
the trail and saddle, General Tarrant again became a lawmaker, 
serving several terms in the State Legislature after Texas was 
admitted to the Union. He died in 1828 at old Fort Belknap and 
was buried in Ellis County, from which place his body was re¬ 
moved to Ft. Worth in 1928. 


64 


ORGANIZATION 


jected because it was not nearer their settlement and in 
a few months seceded, and Ellis County was formed. 

Following is the report of the Commissioners for the 
August, 1849 term of court as recorded in the “Day 
Book”, with S. C. Cross, Chief Justice. 

The commissioners were Archibald M. Sloan, F. R. 
Kendall, Wm. J. Stokes, Sheriff, R. N. White, County 
Clerk. 

“To the Hon. County Court of Navarro County: We 
the Commissioners, appointed by an act of Legislature 
passed the 12th of Jan. 1848, to establish the Town of 
Corsicana and perform all acts and duties appertaining 
there unto, as set forth in said act, do, in compliance 
with the Fourth Sec. of said Act, requiring the Com¬ 
missioners to make a full Exhibit of all their proceed¬ 
ings in the premises to the County Court within eight¬ 
een months from the passage of the Act, make the fol¬ 
lowing exhibit, viz: “On the 25th of Feb. 1848, the 
Board of Commissioners met and after due examina¬ 
tion, selected for the Town and accepted a donation of 
one hundred acres from Thos. I. Smith for a town site, 
said Smith executing a title Bond for same. 

“C. C. Taylor was appointed to survey the Town and 
make the necessary maps, and for doing which, he was 
to receive $125. 

“The contract for building the temporary Court 
House was taken by J. A. Johnson for $100. This sum 
was to be paid out of the first money arising from the 
sale of Town lots. 


65 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


“On the 1st of May, 1848, a sale of Town lots was had, 
at which lots were sold, to the amount of seventeen 
hundred and eighty-five dollars, for which notes with 
security were taken, falling due 12 and 18 months from 
date: Some time last May we had a reason to fear 
that the School League conflicted with the Campbell 
survey, enough to include the tract donated for the 
Town, and it has since been ascertained beyond a doubt, 
by a survey of D. R. Mitchell that the School League 
is run by courses and distance does include it. Under 
these circumstances we thought it best, for the inter¬ 
est of the County, to postpone bringing suit against 
the estate of Thos. I. Smith upon his bond, until next 
District Court, upon D. R. Mitchell’s promising to get 
an order from the County Court of Robertson, to float 
the part of the School League covering the Town, and 
locate it elsewhere. When this is done, we think an 
Act of the Legislature validating the one of the County 
Court Robertson can be obtained, and that the Title 
will then be safe. 

“We would further report that a contract was enter¬ 
ed into by the Commissioners with Charles Wantland 
and Charles Young to dig a public well, the water to be 
obtained, and the well curbed, etc., for $100, but the 
work was so badly done, that the Commissioners re¬ 
fused to allow the full amount stipulated and it was 
finally referred to arbitrators, who brought in $68, as 
the sum to which they were entitled, which amount 
was allowed. 

“In conclusion we would state that the Act of Legis- 


66 



i-ineh^=3ooFfc. % Old Town Plab" of CORSICANA 
Pflrb of J. Ortez Survey 

















































































































































































































































































































ORGANIZATION 


lature provides that the function of the Commissioners 
shall cease at the expiration of eighteen months from 
the passage of the Act, unless the County Court shall 
deem it necessary to continue for a longer period. 

“Owing to the uncertainty about the Title, scarcely 
anything has been accomplished by the Statute and we 
think it requires at least eighteen months longer to 
finish the sales, collect the proceeds, and apply them 
to the erection of County Buildings. All of which is 
respectfully submitted. ,, 

(Signed): WM. F. HENDERSON, 

JAS. M. RIGGS. 

The land on which Corsicana was located was orig¬ 
inally granted to a Mexican settler Jesus Ortez, by vir- 
ture of his certificate of settlement, dated March 16th, 
1838. This certificate was traded and passed through 
several hands, prior to its final location; being at one 
time owned by G. A. Campbell, and finally passing to 
David R. Mitchell, who was Surveyor of Robertson 
County Land District. 

He held in his name the title to this for himself and 
associates Thos. I. Smith and J. C. Neill. 

The title was finally cleared, and the hundred acres 
known as the “Old Town Plot” was conveyed to the 
Commissioners on June 30th, 1850. 

The years of 1848 and 1849 saw the original Navarro 
County considerably reduced in area. 


67 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


In order that a new county might be formed from 
portions of Navarro, Freestone, Limestone, Hill, Mc- 
Clennan and Bosque an attempt was made in 1876 to 
take part of Navarro County but this was defeated and 
the outlines of Navarro remained as originally formed. 

Navarro County is slightly Northeast of what would 
properly be called Central Texas. Its deep, black loam 
and mixed soils, make it ideal for many forms of ag¬ 
riculture. The entire county is well drained by two 
streams, Richland Creek and Chambers Creek, togeth¬ 
er with their numerous tributaries all of which flow 
into the Trinity river along the Eastern boundary of 
the county. Both of the two above mentioned creeks 
play an interesting part in Navarro County’s early his¬ 
tory due to the fact that many of the early Indian bat¬ 
tles and skirmishes between contesting land owners oc¬ 
curred on the rich bottom land and the various farms 
which are peaceably tilled by their owners today, have 
in days of old, changed hands under very exciting cir¬ 
cumstances. Much of the central western and north¬ 
ern portions of the county is prairie. Nearly all is now 
in cultivation. In early times many kinds of small 
game were plentiful in Navarro County but the on¬ 
ward march of civilization has taken its toll and today 
only the innocent dove remains to intrigue the hunter. 
The dark brown buffalo and the predatory bear and 
wolf have long since succumbed to the onward march 
of the tractor and while an occasional wildcat is killed 
in the bottoms, Navarro County is today lacking in the 
excitement out of doors which it afforded those who 
came with their long rifles in days gone by. 


68 


ORGANIZATION 


From the time of the organization of the county, 
settlers and home seekers poured in—halted for a few 
years by the Civil War but only for a few years. They 
came from Northern, Southern, and Eastern States, 
trekking toward the new land, trusting that, through 
their effort and sacrifice, they might find conditions 
which would be better for their children. 

They came to the new country—so much talked 
about,—a land infested by marauding savages, but 
which promised better things for the future, than the 
places they had seen despoiled. Texas!—The very 
name held for them romance, adventure. 

Along with the stories of scalping and hardships, 
blue northers and sandstorms, the wild cowboys and 
the boundless plains, were also tales of the wonderful 
fertility of the soil, the numberless buffalo and cat¬ 
tle, game of all kinds, the generosity and kindness of 
its people—and land almost for the taking. 

They came—old and young—people of all sorts, but 
the true spirit of the homeseeker was predominant as 
the development of the State has proven. Those who 
were unworthy and dishonest were soon made to feel 
that Texas was no place for them. 

With the opening up of a new rich country like this, 
the tide of immigration began again, after the war. 
Hundreds and thousands of people came from Ken¬ 
tucky, Tennessee, Georgia, Alabama and Mississippi, 
the states to suffer most from the terrible Civil War. 
They gathered the little remnants of money and their 


69 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


families, giving away much of their precious treasures 
of home and sacrificing what little property they had 
left from the dire trials through which they had pass¬ 
ed; bringing just what they could carry in covered 
wagons, they set out on the long arduous trip to Texas! 

Those were not just pleasure trips, although there 
was an element of romance as well as the gravity of 
life and death in the undertaking. When they said 
“Goodbye” to their friends and relatives and the places 
they loved they knew it probably was for the last time 
as many had passed their youth, but they had suffered 
so much that getting away seemed a relief. They be¬ 
lieved that the future in a new rich country, where land 
was to be had for almost the taking, would be better. 

The story of that emigration was not that of the 
gold hunters, or adventurers, but, in the main, home- 
seekers. 

Many weary mothers cared for their little ones on 
that long trek, camping at night and cooking over the 
camp fires and planning for the day ahead. Fathers 
looked out for provender and good water for their fam¬ 
ilies and stock. Generally there were several wagons 
in a group for mutual help and protection. Frequently 
a horse, a mule or an ox would give out and the whole 
party would be delayed until another could be procured. 

Navarro County has had six court houses, the first 
being William R. Howe's residence, which was located 
in what is now the town of Forreston in Ellis County. 
This served as a court house during the years 1847- 


70 





wm 


Fifth Navarro court house built in 1880 . 

































































































































































































































































































































































































ORGANIZATION 


1848. The second court house was a log house which 
was built in Corsicana in 1849 and used until 1853, at 
which time a two-story frame building was erected and 
utilized until 1855. The fourth court house was erect¬ 
ed in 1855-1858 and was made of brick. This court 
house was the seat of government until 1880, at which 
time the fifth court house, a brick structure, was 
erected. This edifice was used until 1905 when the 
present brick and granite building was finished . 

Many court records were destroyed when the third 
court house was burned in 1855. It is interesting to 
note that the fourth court house*, which was built in 
1858, was laid on a foundation of heavy cedar timbers 
and when excavations were made for the next court 
house about twenty years later, these cedar boards 
were found to be in good condition. 

The County Judges of Navarro County have been: 
Dr. John A. Young, Gen. E. H. Tarrant, S. C. Cross, J. 
R. Loughridge, Samuel Wright, Presley Donaldson, 
John L. Miller, T. L. Haynes, S. H. Kerr, W. R. Bright, 
F. M. Story, R. C. Beale, James L. Autry, J. L. Harle, 
John H. Rice, M. L. Shelton, J. F. Stout, A. B. Graham, 
C. L. Jester, J. M. Blanding, R. R. Owen, H. E. Traylor, 
A. P. Mays, Warren Hicks and Clay Nash. 

The District Judges of Navarro County were in or¬ 
der as follows: R. E. B. Baylor, Bennet Martin, John 
H. Reagan, Henry Jewett, John Gregg, James Walker, 

♦The photograph of this court house shows citizens voting un¬ 
der the guard of negro soldiers. This was immediately after 
the Civil War. 


71 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Robert S. Gould, Nat Hart Davis, F. P. Wood, D. M. 
Prendergast, L. D. Bradley, Sam R. Frost, Rufus 
Hardy, L. B, Cobb, H. B. Davis and Hawkins Scar¬ 
borough. 

In order to show the names of some of the early 
families in Navarro County, included here is a list of 
the jurors for 1848: 

Jesse Ammons, Elijah Anderson, I. N. Anderson, 
George Bragg, Thomas Bragg, Joseph Bragg, Henry 
Brown, J. B. Barry, Thomas Bell, Joseph Bell, Daniel 
Billingsly, Nathan Billingsly, John Billingsly, Johna¬ 
than Billingsly, James Billingsly, J. S. Berry, R. F. 
Berry, Reuben F. Cox, Jesse Bolin, Armsted Blevins, 
David Boyle, Adam Beaty, Shepherd Bailey, William 
Barrett, William L. Browning, Samuel Bowman, Jack- 
son Blevin, J. M. Bartlett, Benjamin Cox, James Cox, 
Isaac Cline, Henry Cook, John Carr, William Crabtree, 
Jeremiah Crabb, S. A. Carroll, Elias Carroll, David Cad- 
dell, J. W. Caddell, Joseph Carroll, N. H. Carroll, J. C. 
Clark, Nelson Coburn, Alexander Dickson, James De Ar¬ 
man, Jonas De Arman, William Donaghn, Aaron R. Es¬ 
tes, John Eds, Hiram Estes, David Evans, M. T. Fla¬ 
herty, D. P. Farris, William W. Fullerton, William 
Frost, J. L. French, William French, James Fletcher, 
Monroe Flemming, Philips S. George, Edwin Garlic, R. 
D. George, Owen Humphrey, C. Hodges, Jackson 
Haines, D. Hamilton, William Hogan, B. F. Hain, John 
A. Martin, Henry Hartin, Nacy Howard, William How¬ 
ard, Nathan Hobbs, James Hogard, William Hogard, C. 
C. Haynes, John Wilburn, Andrew Hamilton, J. C. Han- 


72 


ORGANIZATION 


ly, Henry Harrell, John Wilburn, Andrew Jackson, J. C. 
Jones, J. 0. Jones, Reuben Jones, Elijah Jeffries, T. L. 
Jordan, R. R. Jackson, L. C. Jones, James Jackson, E. 
R. Johnson, Henry Lee, L. R. Lee, L. Loggins, William 
Meador, William H. Morrell. 

Navarro County originally embraced what would, to¬ 
day, be considered a rather large area for a county, but 
since Ellis, and other counties were made up from 
some of its original territory, it is today a rectangle 
of approximately forty-eight by thirty-three miles, 
and embracing an area of some 1,190 square miles or 
697,600 acres. The highest point in the County is one 
and one-half miles Northwest of the confluence of Free¬ 
stone, Limestone, and Navarro Counties. This is a 
ridge which has an elevation of 581 feet above sea- 
level—Corsicana’s elevation is 445 feet. 

Old Springfield Road* which was the main line of 
travel between Houston and North Texas, came by way 
of Navasota, near Bryan, and thence to Springfield, 
in Limestone County, and thence along the westerly 
slope of the Tehuacana Hills. It reached the South 
line of Navarro County South of the present hamlet of 
Rushing and, passing by Rushing, it followed the high 
ground of Pisgah Ridge, crossed Richland Creek at 
about the site of the present “Love” bridge. It cross¬ 
ed the prairie through the old Highnote settlement, 
and reached the present Southern limits of Corsicana 
at about the corner of what is now known as “Thorpe 

♦From researches made by Mr. William Elliott, Navarro Coun¬ 
ty Civil Engineer. 


73 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Addition” just West of the residence of the late Judge 
Sam R. Frost. From here it ran East with what is now 
West Thirteenth Avenue at its intersection with South 
Twentieth Street, thence North with Twentieth Street 
back of the present high school building, and between 
the homesteads of the late S. A. Pace, and A. L. Lot- 
speich, and on to Old Main Street (now West Second 
Avenue), and thence East with Old Main Street to the 
court house. 

Over this road much of the hauling required by the 
early pioneers was done. Within a short time roads 
were surveyed in many directions and were kept in a 
state of repair by overseers who were appointed by the 
County Court. These overseers in turn ‘‘warned in” 
workmen; every man between the ages of twenty-one 
and sixty years of age being required to do his share 
of work or hire a substitute. A definite record as to 
the opening up of a road is the record of the County 
Court for August 16, 1852, and is as follows: 

“Presley Donaldson, Chief Justice, F. R. 
Kendall, A. M. Sloan, A. Barry, Elias Carroll, 
Commissioners, William Stokes, Sheriff, R. 

N. White, County Clerk. A petition for a road 
leading from Corsicana to Wild Cat Bluff on 
Trinity River. It is ordered by the Court that 
James Wilson, Corban Jones, J. H. Parsons, 
Frank Owen and Elijah Anderson be and they 
are hereby appointed to review and make a 
road the nearest practicable route from Corsi- 

74 


ORGANIZATION 


cana to Wild Cat Bluff on Trinity River and 
make returns at the next Term of Court.” 

In 1848 there was a public road of well defined pro¬ 
portions running from Taos out to Chatfield and in 
the same year Joshua Hanley was overseer of the 
road and he had working for him Messrs. Jonas, Mat¬ 
thews, Johnson, Fisher, Miller, Hanley, Bartlett, 
as well as Sperlin and some of the slaves be¬ 
longing to this gentleman and also Messrs. Wade, 
Lieze, Box, Brown, Goode, John Matthews, Chatfield 
and Killiam. The Commissioners’ Court instructed Mr. 
Hanby to “open up this public road, following the near¬ 
est practicable route and to make returns at the next 
term of court.” 

In July, 1848, Robert H. Porter was made 
overseer to work the road between Corsicana and Taos 
and under his jurisdiction William Mitchell, Joseph 
Boren, Robert Jackson, J. V. Session, Thomas Herrin, 
William Noble, and the overseer himself came with 
their slaves to engage in the road work. Survey was 
made in 1848 for a road from Corsicana to the mouth 
of Pin Oak Creek where it emptied into Richland Creek 
and this survey was made by M. Johnson, John Raines, 
J. Petty, N. Matlock, L. Choat, J. Randle, William F. 
Henderson, A. Henderson, T. H. McKinney, J. I. Mc¬ 
Kinney, Dr. Augburn, J. A. Harlin, William Hamilton, 
R. Goode, J. Brown, R. Ellis, H. Beeman, L. Parson, 
John Harris, Robert Ray, H. Hogard, Fletcher M. 
Flemming, William Roberts, Harris Paris, E. Wantland, 
F. Yo«ng, A. Highnote, H. Highnote, and N. C. Hodges. 


75 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


In 1848 records indicate that Eleazar Nash was ap¬ 
pointed overseer on the road from Corsicana to Spring- 
field while in the same year Joshua Hanley was over¬ 
seer of the road from Chatfield to Taos, Jeremiah 
Crabb was overseer on the road from Corsicana to the 
county line in the direction of Pine Bluff, and in 1853 
Henry Fullerton was appointed overseer on the road* 
from Dresden to “Waco Village”. 

Waxahachie Road was the principal road to Dallas 
and North Texas, via Waxahachie and Red Oak. It 
started from the West side of the Old “Square” (Corsi¬ 
cana Court House), and proceeded north along what is 
now North 13th Street, intersecting the present “Em- 
house Road” just South of the Trinity and Brazos Val¬ 
ley Railway crossing. It continued, passing the Zion's 
Rest Church, and on about the same course, North- 
North-West, through what is known as the “Farmer 
Settlement,” leaving the present Town of Rice some 
two to two-and-one-quarter miles to the East. It there 
crossed the Navarro-Ellis County line about where 
Cummins Creek crosses the line, and swung West in a 
fairly straight course towards Waxahachie. 

The travel over these early roads was by horseback, 
wagon, buggy or stage coach and in the Navarro “Ex¬ 
press” of 1860 this news item appeared: 

“Recently the new line of four horse coach- 

*This road was part of the historic “Cow Head” road which 
extended from Corsicana to Waco. It was marked originally as 
a trail with skulls of cattle so placed as to serve as route mark¬ 
ers. 


76 


ORGANIZATION 


es on Colonel G. W. Grant's line via Corsicana, 
Fairfield, Centerville, Madisonville and An¬ 
derson shortens the line nearly forty miles. 
When Grant’s line becomes a little more 
known it will attract a great portion of the 
travel. 

“At Waxahachie, Van Metre mounts the 
Box: it is after midnight: you go whirling 
down the beautiful Waxahachie Creek, pass¬ 
ing well improved farms and many evidences 
of thrift and industry. 

“Passing on down you cross Mustang Creek, 
a small stream. At Corsicana, Charlie Lyons 
takes the strings and you go whirling South 
at the rate of six miles an hour. He puts you 
into the careful hands of Joe Cushion. Joe 
takes you to Centerville and hands you over 
to Hezzleton; Hezzleton gives up to Mays, and 
Mays sets you down at Fauthorn’s in forty 
hours from Waxahachie!” 

The Civil War doubtless caused some interruption 
to travel in Navarro County as well as in all other 
parts of the South and with the coming of the railroad 
the stage coach with its picturesque driver and foam¬ 
ing horses passed. The coming of the automobile ne¬ 
cessitated smooth, level roads and the old time over¬ 
seer with his team and his “hands” recruited from the 


77 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


adjoining farm have been replaced by an efficient 
State Highway System which acts in cooperation with 
the Federal Department and Navarro County will soon 
be criss-crossed by both National and State highways. 



78 




















CHAPTER IV 


Young Corsicana 

O NE of the first requirements of any town is a place 
for boarders, visitors and travellers to rest. The 
first hotel opened in Corsicana was operated by the 
family of Hampton McKinney. It was a log house, with 
two big rooms, and a long gallery in front; in addition 
to the two big rooms, there were two small rooms add¬ 
ed at one corner, and a long “L” at the back for a kitch¬ 
en and dining room, and for store room. The upstairs 
was simply one big room. Nearly all of the rooms had 
fire places. The first cook stove seen in Corsicana, was 
said to have been in the ‘‘McKinney Inn.” 

Rev. McKinney, who operated the hotel, was a min¬ 
ister who came with his family to Texas from Illinois. 
They arrived in Navarro County before Corsicana was 
in existence, living first at Richland or Dresden. 

The old McKinney tavern was an example of the 
carefully built log house. The logs forming the main 
part of the building were first put in place, then 
these were covered with riven boards. These riven 
boards were made by splitting blocks first into halves 
and quarters and later with axes and wedges, split- 

79 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ting out boards which were piled in square stacks 
and allowed to season for a time before being nailed 
into place. These boards were oftentimes smoothed 
with carpenter tools and then nailed onto the logs and 
the interior spaces filled in with mortar. In some cases 
these boards were whitewashed but in most instances 
they were left in their natural weatherbeaten color. 
During the winter quilts and buffalo robes were often 
tacked up inside to keep out the cold. 

The McKinney Inn was located on or near the pres¬ 
ent location of the jail, and was a busy place, as there 
were regular boarders, besides a continuous stream of 
travellers. When the courts were in session, many of 
the legal visitors had the McKinney Inn as headquar¬ 
ters. The photographed galleries were located there 
at times. For a while Daguerreotypes were made, and 
a very good kind they were. 

Several young lawyers boarded there, among them 
Alexander Beaton, who married Miss Jane McKinney, 
and John L. Miller, who became the husband of Miss 
Mary McKinney. 

The Miller home for many years was on the corner 
of Jefferson and Church streets, and now on the corner 
of Fourth Avenue and Fifteenth street, is the home of 
their daughter, Miss Ursula Miller, and their son, Bea¬ 
ton Miller. 

Major Beaton and his wife for many years lived on 
“Gem” Hill South of town about a mile. 

The post office in Corsicana was not established be- 
80 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


fore 1849. R. N. White was first appointed postmas¬ 
ter, but as he was County Clerk, Hampton McKinney 
was made postmaster, and the post office was in his 
Inn. 

Contemporary with the McKinney Inn was one kept 
by D. R. Mitchell, located about midway of the South 
side of Block 263, of the “Old Town Plot.” This was 
called, sometimes, the “Lower Hotel.” D. R. Mitchell 
was at one time surveyor for Robertson County. After 
he had chosen Navarro County as his home, he was a 
prominent and popular citizen. After his death appre¬ 
ciative citizens of Corsicana placed a monument over 
his grave in memory of his loyalty and generosity. His 
daughter married Dr. W. F. Seale, who lived in Corsi¬ 
cana. Mrs. F. J. Lindsay, a daughter of Dr. Seale, and 
granddaughter of D. R. Mitchell, and many other of 
his descendants now live in Corsicana. 

Following is a list of Corsicana postmasters in the order in 
which they served: 

Hampton McKinney, June 21, 1852; Joel D. Hicks, February 
7, 1853; M. V. Powell, February 18, 1854; Lucious T. Wheeler, 
August 15, 1854; Robert G. Leetch, September 17, 1857; David 
B. Smith, March 19, 1858; John Miller, January 24, 1859; R. A. 
Van Horn, August 17, 1859; Turner W. Garner, September 29, 
1859; William M. McKinney, April 9, 1860; Julius A. Oakes, June 
16, 1860; Harriet A. Trent, January 26, 1866; Alex H. Davis, 
October 8, 1866; John T. Parrish, April 23, 1868; William P. 
Parrish, December 3, 1868; David I. Page, June 9, 1871; George 
W. Smith, November 10, 1871; R. J. Shelton, June 12, 1872; L. 
P. Barton, July 12, 1872; Robert J. Shelton, August 12, 1872; 
Isaac Baum, April 3, 1876; Mrs. Pauline Wood, January 29, 
1879; Henry M. Ryan, June 15, 1881; Adolph Zadek, November 
18, 1884; Andrew F. Wood, April 20, 1886; Adolph Zadek, Au¬ 
gust 29, 1889; Nathaniel J. Mille, December 21, 1893; Louis C. 
Revare, February 2, 1898; James W. A. Clark, January 13, 1902; 
H. E. Kinsloe, February 5, 1906; Archie N. Justiss, March 10, 
1914; Pierce Mayer, February 14, 1923, still serving. 

81 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The graves of Hampton McKinney and his wife, and 
that of D. R. Mitchell, are just within the Oakwood 
Cemetery, near the front gate. They are on a part of 
the original one hundred acre tract donated by Thos. 
I. Smith and D. R. Mitchell, to the City of Corsicana. 

About the year 1850 much of the social life of Na¬ 
varro County and surrounding territory centered in 
the Haynes Hotel and a copy still exists of an old invi¬ 
tation to one of the Christmas Balls held in this fron¬ 
tier hostelry. 


“The pleasure of your company is respectfully 
solicited at a ball to be given at the Haynes Hotel 
in Corsicana on the 24th inst., at 5 o’clock p. m. 

Corsicana, December 13, 1852. 

MANAGERS 

D. B. Hartzell 
W. B. McCabe 
A. F. Bartlett 

E. H. Root 

B. Barry, Present* 


P. M. Monnell 
P. H. Carethers 
P. D. Hicks 
D. R. Mickie 
J. H. Martin 


As was usual with the frontier town the greater por¬ 
tion of the business activities centered around court 
house square and on the Northwest corner of the old 
Corsicana business district Alex Michael built a two- 
story brick store building which was the first brick edi¬ 
fice in Corsicana. Michael’s store was a forerunner of 


♦Indicating that Mr. Buck Barry was guest of honor. 
82 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


the present department store, judging from the sign 
which read “Dry Goods, Groceries, Hardware and 
Drugs.” The second story of Mr. Michael’s building 
was a newspaper office and both the store and the 
newspaper changed hands from time to time, through 
the years. 

Dr. Martin had his office just across the street North 
from Micheal’s store and there were also other offices 
on the East side of the square; S. L. Tatum operated a 
tin shop and hardware store on the South side of the 
square and his descendants still are engaged in the 
hardware business in Navarro County. A. Fox & Broth¬ 
ers had a store on the square until the coming of the 
railroad after which this was moved to Beaton Street. 
Mr. Fox was widely respected for his business ethics 
and he was given not only the patronage but also the 
friendship of the inhabitants of Navarro County. He 
lived on Fifth Avenue in Corsicana until a few years 
ago, dying at an advanced age after a lifetime of serv¬ 
ing the community. 

Thomas Haynes had a carpenter shop on the South 
side of the square and in addition to being a carpenter 
also served as County Judge of Navarro County. One 
term of District Court was held in his carpenter shop 
due to the court house having burned down. Records 
indicate that Mr. Haynes was allowed 50c a day recom¬ 
pense as rental on his carpenter shop for use as court 
house. 

William Hamilton operated a store on the West side 
of the square and slightly back of his store erected a 


83 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


log house of one story and an attic. This log house 
was replaced by a plank or framed house, lumber for 
which was hauled from East Texas in ox wagons. This 
house stood for many years, was torn down and later 
rebuilt in East Corsicana where it now stands. 

S. H. Kerr had a wagon, buggy and furniture shop on 
the spot where the Mulkey home now stands. Mr. 
Kerr’s activities were varied and in addition to operat¬ 
ing his business he also taught school for a time and 
later in life was County Clerk. 

Wybrant and Ransom operated a drug store on the 
square. Jernigan’s saddle shop was on the Southeast 
corner of the square. He later sold out to C. W. Jester. 

Jacob Hartzell operated a business on the square but 
he left Corsicana and moved to Dresden. Capt. Wm. 
Peck was also in business on the square for awhile. 

It is usual that a business man is remembered for his 
business attainments but one of those, who occupied a 
prominent part in the early business life of Corsicana 
when it clustered around the square, was famous for 
an entirely different thing. There was a Mr. Kuch- 
offer whose two beautiful daughters were known far 
and wide for their comeliness. 

In a frontier town two important things were the 
jail and the saloon. In the case of Corsicana, the sa¬ 
loon was in the middle of the South side of the square 
and was operated by Bob Morrell. As was usual with 
the saloon of olden days, a rough crowd congregated 
around the barroom and Saturday nights were enliven- 


84 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


ed with either fighting or frolicking, according to the 
effects of the spirits imbibed by those under the influ¬ 
ence of liquor. 

The jail at that time was a log cabin located near 
the present Aaron Ferguson home on the corner of 
Thirteenth Street and Fourth Avenue. The log cabin 
was not considered sufficiently secure to assure the 
proper detention of prisoners and when a culprit was in 
the city lock-up the additional precaution of a guard 
was taken, this guard being paid $1.00 per night for 
acting as warden of the jail to assure the prisoner’s 
safe keeping and to prevent the culprit from kicking 
the walls out of the jail and escaping. There was a 
regular jailer who stood guard during the day and it 
can be readily seen that the cost of guarding a prisoner 
would soon amount to enough to build a jail. Doubtless 
the city fathers also realized this fact and in 1855 a 
contract was given to Harvey Beeman to build for the 
embryo city a place of safe keeping for prisoners. This 
jail was built at a cost of $1800 and was located near 
the site of the present jail. 

During the slave days a resident of early Corsi¬ 
cana took advantage of the qualifications of two of 
his slaves to further his business. This was Tom Van 
Hook who had two slaves that were expert black¬ 
smiths and their reputation was gained not only for the 
quality of their work but for the speed at which it was 
turned out. This blacksmith shop was just across the 
street from the L. H. Lee home on Second Avenue. 

Solomon Van Hook was an early resident and lived 
85 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


on a farm a short distance from town, and a Col. 
Pillar owned a home during the early days which was 
located on what is now Jester Place. 

Early residents recall that a Sam Brooks, who liv¬ 
ed in the Eastern part of the county, was one of the 
first to develop the fruit growing industry in Navarro 
County and his success in this line caused him to be 
given the nickname of “Peach” Brooks, by his Corsi¬ 
cana friends. 

There were two Baird brothers who were early resi¬ 
dents of Corsicana whose appearances were at great 
variance—one had bright red hair and beard, whereas 
the other was equally noticeable for his raven black 
hirsute adornments; naturally they were immediately 
known by the cognomen of “Red” and “Black.” 

It is interesting to notice that the idiosyncrasies of 
certain individuals have left their mark on various com¬ 
munities and this is true of Navarro County as well as 
any other section of the country. One case in point 
might be recalled: an old man lived on a creek South of 
Corsicana and he conceived the idea of domesticating 
the buffalo by a very novel plan. His idea was to go 
among a herd of buffalo until they became accustom¬ 
ed to him and then impound a certain number in a large 
pen which he had built on the above mentioned creek. 
This old man was a great believer in mesmerism and he 
felt sure that his powers were such he could, by this 
mesmerism, tame the buffalo to where he could milk 
them or work them to a plow or wagon. The pen 
was duly erected and the early settlers say that he 


86 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


managed to get some buffalos within this stockade; 
but either the log pen was not sufficiently strong or his 
power of mesmerization weak, for the herd of buffalo 
proceeded to tear down the logs and go about their way 
despite all his effort to the contrary. The scattered 
logs remained for many years until hauled away for 
fire wood, the old man died and went to his reward but 
land deeds in the Court House still refer to this creek 
as “Mesmeriser’s Creek.” 

During the early days many ideas were formulated 
which today may seem novel but at that time ap¬ 
peared perfectly logical. The great number of bones 
and horns scattered throughout the country caused one 
man to dream of an immense factory in Corsicana for 
the manufacture of buttons and his first move was to 
gather wagonload after wagonload of horns and bones 
and pile them into one huge mound with the hope that 
he could interest capital and thus erect his dream fac¬ 
tory, which would revolutionize the manufacture of 
buttons and upset the entire button industry. This 
pile of bones was near Elm Creek South of town. Un¬ 
fortunately for him capital did not take so kindly to 
his idea and the pile of horns and bones was scattered 
by cattle and disintegrated by the elements. 

Not far from this pile of horns and bones was 
a tree which had a certain grim attraction due to 
having been the gallows upon which a notorious 
horse thief was hung by the Vigilantes. Horse thieves 
were dealt swift justice in the early days due to the 
fact that a man's horse was one of his most prized pos- 


87 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sessions and horses were carefully guarded against 
both white and Indian horse thieves by their owners. 
The horse thief who was hung on the particular 
tree dangled from the limb until his body, swing¬ 
ing in the wind, wore the rope thin and caused it 
to break where it was passed over the limb of the tree 
and the body then fell to the ground. His old felt hat 
lay underneath the tree for a long time as a mute re¬ 
minder of the tragedy which befell the evil doer. 

The hanging of a horse thief or the catching of a 
band of Indians, which would try to steal horses on a 
moonlight night, offered some excitement to the com¬ 
munity. The early settlers did not have so many 
variations since there were very few holidays 
and until the coming of a more organized social and 
community life, Christmas and election day were the 
only generally accepted holidays, although circus day 
was a day of recreation and excitement after the 
year 1857 at which time the John Robinson Circus 
first came to Navarro County. The circus of early 
times was tortuously transported over land by wagon 
or ox team and it carried no such accompaniments as 
red lemonade, balloons, whips or all-day suckers to 
bring excitement and intense joy to the young folks. 
The circus was sufficient excitement to afford a mat¬ 
ter of conversation and pleasurable thrill for days prior 
to its arrival and weeks after its departure. 

Among other things which added to the joy of liv¬ 
ing in the early days of Navarro County was the oc¬ 
casional dance, or ball, which was usually held in the 
court house. Inhabitants far and near gathered at 


88 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


these functions and they were the beginning of many 
romances and many of the early love affairs had their 
inception at these county-wide social functions. 

The first Masonic Lodge was organized by J. D. 
Martin and the Lodge room was the upper story of the 
old academy building which was made of cedar logs. 
The Masonic Brotherhood was strong in the new coun¬ 
ty. All of the towns and communities had a Masonic 
Lodge, and the members were urgent and regular in 
attendance. Besides other influences for protection, it 
was said that the Indians would not steal from or mis¬ 
treat a Mason. 

Corsicana was given legal status February 8, 1854, 
and recognized as a town with the right to sue and be 
sued, to buy, hold and dispose of real estate and the 
first form of government was by Mayor, six Aldermen, 
City Treasurer, City Recorder and Constable. A town 
was created and the Mayor was Judge with criminal 
and civil jurisdiction. 

The Texas Almanac of 1857 has an interesting de' 
scription of Navarro County and among other things 
mentions the fact that there were large numbers of 
cows, sheep, hogs and other livestock raised in the 
county and also mentions that there were a number of 
saw and grist mills, as well as churches and schools. 
It is also interesting to note that at that date the mar¬ 
kets were Galveston and Houston and transportation 
was by way of the Trinity River, when navigable, oth¬ 
erwise by ox wagons, and casually mentions that the 
distance to Galveston was about two hundred and fif- 


89 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ty miles. There were contractors who did regular 
hauling of lumber and supplies. The Texas Almanac 
for the year 1857 also speaks of the fact that most of 
the buildings in Corsicana were “neat and tasty” 
structures of wood. This same authority also men¬ 
tions an interesting fact in that Taos, or Porter’s 
Bluff, was a shipping point for Corsicana and was a 
place of considerable trade during navigation. The 
Texas Almanac referred to also mentions that the H. 
& T. C. Railroad “will probably pass through Navarro 
County.” 

During this era, the pioneer was not content with 
fighting the hostile Indian but some of the rough ele¬ 
ment incited feuds and for a time Corsicana had 
a rather-bad reputation for the hectic conditions 
which existed. A Vigilance Committee was main¬ 
tained for a number of years and this committee was 
kept busy keeping down feuds, controlling various un¬ 
ruly factions and dealing swift justice to horse thieves 
and bad characters. The rapid shifting of population 
and the necessary adjustments which are to be found 
in any new country were responsible for this condition 
and records indicate that culprits were shown that Na¬ 
varro County tolerated only law abiding citizens. 

The pioneer also found himself confronted with oth¬ 
er trials besides those brought about by the savage In¬ 
dian and the unruly white. In 1853 grasshoppers des¬ 
cended upon Navarro County in such numbers that 
they resembled a black cloud coming from the North 
and every living green sprig, grass, leaf or crop, 


90 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


was destroyed by the hungry insects. The reddish- 
green cloud of insects rolled over the country like a 
flood until there was a heavy coating of the insects up¬ 
on the ground and after the third day Navarro County 
looked as though a fire had swept over it and singed 
every living plant. The grasshoppers entered houses, 
cutting holes in clothing hanging in the closets and 
devouring wheat, corn or any food left within their 
reach. This scourge passed in about two weeks. Vast 
quantities of grasshoppers were devoured by hogs and 
fowls which fattened on this diet. Unfortunately the 
chickens which ate the grasshoppers were unfit for 
food because of the taste and odor which the grasshop¬ 
pers imparted to the meat of the chicken; they did not 
affect the hog meat, however, since hogs were not kill¬ 
ed until cold weather. Another visitation was made 
by the grasshoppers in 1857 and 1858 but it was not 
so serious. In the winter of 1848 an extremely cold 
spell caused a great deal of hardship and suffering and 
the following year brought a summer so hot and dry 
that eggs were cooked in the sun and prairie fires, 
which were always dreaded, added to the suffering. 
Many mysterious fires broke out in residences and 
stores and negroes were blamed for them until by an 
odd coincidence the truth was apparent. At a store be¬ 
longing to Uncle Billy Oldham, in what is now Waxa- 
hachie, some matches ignited while clerks and proprie¬ 
tor were near them. To further test the heat, and in 
order that all might be convinced of the source of the 
mysterious fires, matches were placed in various places 
and in a few minutes burst into flames. The short buf- 


91 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


falo grass when dry was a constant danger and the 
following account of a prairie fire will indicate to an 
extent at least, something of the terror inspired by one 
of these conflagrations; 

“The most exciting of the early days on the 
frontier were those when the prairies were on 
fire. It being very dry during the summer 
the grass dried up as though it had been mown 
and was excellent forage for the stock. They 
kept fat on it when they could get plenty of 
water, which was obtained by digging holes in 
the ground in the bed of the creeks after they 
dried up. Sometimes the water had to be 
drawn for them, which was done in turns by 
the settlers or someone was hired by the com¬ 
munity to attend to the matter. 

“Fires would break out from camp fires of 
travelers or were started by smokers empty¬ 
ing their pipes and occasionally some reckless 
fellow would set fire to the grass to see it 
burn. The wind was generally strong at that 
season of the year, so strong that there were 
but few days when one could carry an um¬ 
brella. When the fire got headway so fearful 
was its march that it was difficult to keep 
out of its way. It leaped branches and creeks 
and to save homes and range for the stock 
about the only remedy was to Tire against 
it , » as it was termed, which had to be done 
in time. The feat was accomplished by using 


92 


YOUNG CORSICANA 


plows, wet blankets, etc., and then after it 
was headed in this way the next thing was to 
drive the stock out of the ring of fire which 
was fearful and hazardous, for the flames 
would be eight and ten feet high if the wind 
was not strong enough to keep them closer to 
the ground. The fire roared like low rumb¬ 
ling thunder. Weeds and grass stems 
whirled in the air, rabbits and rats passed and 
birds screamed in the air. Birds of prey, 
thick as buzzards over a carcass, took advan¬ 
tage of the terrible situation to catch their 
prey and seemed to add consternation to the 
scene. Cows lowed and horses neighed and 
ran helter-skelter. Amid this excitement men 
well mounted would enter the arena equipped 
with spurs and whip and by halloing would 
get the stock on a run at full speed and crowd 
the rear ones on to the front ones so that 
when they struck the fire front ones could not 
stop but would be pushed through the fire 
and the rear ones and men following all to¬ 
gether at a fast speed the flames would be 
pressed to the ground by the herd. 

“But while it could be and was done yet 
amid such a scene the men would tremble for 
it seemed that not only the fire but all nature 
joined in a carnival of destruction.’ , 

During the hardships, however, there were inter¬ 
spersed days and nights of joy. The old time square 


93 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


dance, the box supper at the church, and gatherings at 
neighboring houses broke the monotony of daily strife 
and life went on. Those who enjoyed hunting found 
themselves in a hunter’s paradise; wild game was on 
every hand and so plentiful that much of it was was¬ 
ted and wantonly destroyed. Buffaloes were killed for 
their hides and the carcasses left to decay and the 
bones to bleach. 



94 





CHAPTER V 


Through The Civil War 

T HE early settlers in Navarro County found it es¬ 
sential, that their homes be built near two prime 
requisites, these two essentials being wood and water. 
Wood was necessary because of the need for it in build¬ 
ing homes and making fences, for heating and for cook¬ 
ing. Water was, then as now, the one thing which the 
human race must have at very short intervals in order 
that it may live. With today’s conveniences and in this 
age of efficient mechanical contrivances water, among 
other things, is at hand with only a turn of the faucet, 
and if we sometimes become annoyed over trivial in¬ 
conveniences it might be well for us to think of the 
days when our forefathers found it necessary to 
walk, oftentimes, miles or travel great distances in 
ox carts to procure a sufficient supply of water to 
assure their very existence. During the early days 
in Navarro County the prairies were looked upon 
only as grazing land and homes were always establish¬ 
ed in wooded sections. It was also essential that the 
early settler fence portions of his land both as a protec¬ 
tion against encroachment on the part of the buffalo 
or bad stock and also to keep his own livestock in 
bounds. Various things were used as fence, the most 


95 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


common of which in Navarro County was the rail fence 
and hedge rows of Bois d’Arc. The Bois de Arc was 
very hardy and until this day there may be seen many 
remains of the early Bois d’Arc hedges which served 
as fences. As soon as barbed wire came into use it 
immediately superseded all other material for fencing 
and the old time rail fence is another relic of the past. 

The family life of early Navarro County was of the 
most simple form. The pioneer was concerned prin¬ 
cipally in establishing a home and sustaining life for 
himself and family. Houses were built of logs and oth¬ 
er materials at hand. The fire place at one end of the 
log house served as both the heating unit and the 
means of preparing meals. Cooking was done on the 
hearth and in pots swung by cranes built into the fire 
place and prior to the Civil War there were few cook 
stoves in use in Navarro County. 

Clothing was home spun of cotton or wool and 
shoes were, in most cases, made by hand from the hides 
of cows or buffalos. The bed upon which the pioneer 
found surcease from his daily toil was made of feathers 
of various kinds or from straw or com shucks. Bed 
springs were among the luxuries which were un¬ 
known and the silken coverlet of today is the descend¬ 
ant of the early homespun blanket or handmade quilt 
of our forefathers. 

The early settler worked all the week and found ev¬ 
ery moment of his six days filled with activity but the 
Sabbath was universally respected except in the case 
of some irreverent individual and any person who dis- 


96 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


regarded the Sabbath was looked upon as outside the 
general pale of civilization. It is interesting to note that 
a sincere reverence of the Supreme Deity accompanies 
those who live under extremely rigorous conditions and 
in such cases an individual feels more strongly the need 
of a protection beyond his own inherent strength. 
The family Bible occupied a place of honor on the most 
prominent table or shelf and this Bible was not only a 
source of inspiration and a guide to worship but also 
served as the genealogical record wherein were enter¬ 
ed carefully the births and deaths of those comprising 
the family. Family prayers were held by many. The 
religious influence was further promulgated by occa¬ 
sional camp meetings and at such meetings the fami¬ 
lies were collected in wagons and carryalls, together 
with food and arrangements for sleeping, to spend days 
or weeks. After the camp meeting was over many 
families had no other social activities for weeks or 
months. 

Young folks had picnics, parties, horse-back rides and 
very simple gatherings but life was as thrilling and 
meant as much as at the present. There was always a 
feeling of hope and promise for the future and primi¬ 
tive conditions and hardships were to them only exist¬ 
ing conditions and accepted as such. Gradually the 
methods of travel improved and more intercourse be¬ 
tween various communities increased interest in so¬ 
cial affairs and soon better homes were built and at 
the time of the Civil War a few brick houses had been 
erected in Navarro County. 

By 1860 three court houses had been built in Corsi- 
97 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


cana and settlements established at Springhill, Dres¬ 
den, Chatfield, Taos, Wadeville, Rural Shade and Pis- 
gah. Roads were being surveyed, political meetings 
were being held occasionally, the court house and 
Masonic Hall saw temperance meetings and fraternal 
gatherings, and social life in the community was hav¬ 
ing its inception. 

The first style of building in this new country was 
dependent solely upon the materials at hand but as the 
settlements increased and the country became more 
thickly populated various styles of architecture evolv¬ 
ed and from the first log house with its loft above and 
a lean-to in the back, the more pretentious log house 
of two rooms — sometimes an open hall between, 
a gallery in front or an “L” for kitchen and dining 
room, being erected by the more prosperous citizens. 
In Navarro County this evolution brought plank houses, 
made of lumber hauled from Houston or Jefferson, but 
following the same general style of architecture. Be¬ 
tween the Seventies and Nineties more elaborate homes 
began to be built and towers and cupolas added and 
scroll work placed on windows and porches. Following 
these came the ornate windows, many with elaborate 
designs of leaded colored glass, as well as the open 
archway, bay window and the entire building topped 
off by lightning rods. This era also brought into use 
the heater and the cook stove, both of them burning 
wood, and in addition to the conveniences just mention¬ 
ed the household furniture evolved from hand-hewn 
necessities to the more elaborate horse hair sofa and 
chair, and prosperous families covered their floors with 


98 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


carpets which were securely nailed down completely 
around the four sides of the room. Carpet cleaning 
time each year became an event of serious propor¬ 
tions. Many of these first homes were early Ameri¬ 
can, and other styles of architecture and today these 
old houses may be seen in Navarro County after hav¬ 
ing stood for three-quarters of a century and they will, 
with care, endure for many more years. The Dawson 
home near the town of Dawson, the Robinson home at 
Dresden, the Lisman and Hodge homes at Chatfield and 
several old Corsicana residences bear mute evidence of 
architecture of the period. Much patience and a great 
deal of ingenuity were required to erect these old 
homes and they should be viewed with the respect and 
admiration due them, not only for the intrinsic value, 
but also for the effort required to erect such a house 
in the early days of Navarro County. 

The first churches and lodge rooms were built as one 
long room and the church usually had a steeple on top 
and pulpit on the platform which was large enough to 
accommodate a small reed organ and choir. The 
steeple of the church invariably had its bell and the 
sweet tones called the pioneer to worship each Sunday 
morning and made him realize that the Sabbath was a 
day of rest and meditation. 

The school houses were log structures with puncheon 
seats and no backs. Later came the frame building and 
long benches and boards upon which the pupil placed 
his “Blue Backed Speller” and “McGuffie Reader.” The 
patent desk of today and the comfortable busses which 


99 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


transport the pupils to school and return them to their 
homes are relatively new things in the world of educa¬ 
tion but many great minds were developed under the 
hardships of the old school house with its rigorous 
curriculum, the main item in many cases being a 
peachtree switch always close by the teacher’s desk. 

One of the prime requisites which the first settlers 
in Navarro County possessed was ingenuity. The 
sources of supply were always far removed and in 
many cases it was necessary to adopt substitutes for 
various articles of food or clothing. When bread was 
not available buffalo meat was dried and mixed with 
wild honey. This combination was not only 
healthful but also had a pleasant taste and had the 
additional advantage of being plentiful. The wild 
honey was easy to procure. Bees were plentiful and 
found flowers and mesquite blooms and grasses and 
flowers in profusion from which to extract the nectar. 

A substitute for coffee was oftentimes made from 
parched grain or potatoes. A beer-like beverage called 
Methiglen was made from wild honey. When it was 
possible to get coffee the bean was purchased green 
and before becoming usable was parched and ground. 
To procure coffee meant a trip to Houston overland or 
purchasing it after it was brought up on little steam¬ 
boats which plied the Trinity and unloaded supplies 
at Taos or Bazette Ferry. Every grain of the coffee 
was carefully hoarded and used only at special occa¬ 
sions such as Sunday morning or when favorite com¬ 
pany came for a visit. Sugar was a rarity and the cof- 


100 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


fee was imbibed usually in its natural state and with¬ 
out the addition of cream or sweetening. 

When bread was made it was salt rising light bread 
of flour or of corn meal. The “corn pone” was a 
staple article of food made by scalding meal and cook¬ 
ing it in a greased skillet. Occasionally a pie or cake 
would be cooked in the iron skillet or “dutch oven,” and 
while the lack of our modem conveniences doubtless 
limited the varieties the frontier housewife succeeded 
in preparing nourishing and delicious menus. 

In order to give color to the homespun cloth, dyes 
were made from oak bark, copperas or weeds of certain 
kinds. Flax made a durable cloth which became more 
soft with usage. The clothes for the men were often¬ 
times of buckskin which was a favorite winter mate¬ 
rial due to its warmth and durability. So well did the 
frontier mother fabricate cloth on her loom and spin¬ 
dle that oftentimes the garment lasted longer than the 
maker. As the demand for furniture increased carpen¬ 
ters became more and more skilled as cabinet makers 
and beautiful examples of workmanship still exist in 
some of the old homes. Many of the immigrants 
brought their own silver and some utensils with them 
and the supply of kitchen utensils was enhanced by the 
traveling “peddler” who exchanged tinware for buffalo 
skins, eggs or any salable commodity. 

Rugs and carpets were made from scraps or woven 
on looms. They were seldom made in any definite pat¬ 
tern, the stripes merely coming according to the color 
of the material at hand. Floors were covered with dried 


101 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


buffalo skins and the bottoms of the chairs were 
made from the same material. Some chairs were 
made more restful by being cushioned with sheep skin 
on which the wool was allowed to remain. This sheep 
skin also was greatly desired by the cowboys for their 
chaps as it afforded a protection from the weather as 
well as from the shrubbery through which they rode. 
These buckskin pants were oftentimes utilized in odd 
ways. One of the early settlers* once found a bee tree 
while enroute home, and having no other means for 
transporting the honey, removed his buckskin pants, 
tied the legs at the bottom and with the improvised 
receptacle carried home a bountiful supply of the delic¬ 
acy. 

Frontier mothers learned quickly to make effective 
medicine and render first aid services. Herbs were used 
and the services of the physician were rare until set¬ 
tlements grew to considerable proportions. It was a 
simple matter to find digitalis, foxglove, balmony or 
other plants which possessed medicinal qualities, grow¬ 
ing in profusion on the prairies. Many of these frontier 
mothers became skilled in this direction and their rep¬ 
utation spread not only through their settlement but 
to neighboring settlements and they were oftentimes 
sent for as one would call in a specialist today. When 
the population increased and this amateur dispenser of 
home-made herbs was displaced by the old time family 

♦This man was Harvey Beeman, who came to Texas, partici¬ 
pated in the battle of San Jacinto, and settled in Navarro Coun¬ 
ty in 1845. He built the third court house—a frame house. His 
wife was a Miss Wantland. They have many descendants in 
Navarro County. 


102 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


doctor, he found his time divided between administer¬ 
ing to the sick and covering intervening miles of trails 
on horse-back. The early physician deserves a great deal 
of credit as he gave little thought to riding fifty miles 
over a rocky trail, to become worn and exhausted and 
with the realization staring him in the face that his pay 
might be a few bushels of com or a side of meat. The 
call might have come to him in the middle of the night 
and although faced with a long and weary ride 
through a bitter Texas norther, never did he falter in 
his mission to preserve life and lessen human suffering. 

To get a clear picture of some of the conditions which 
existed in Navarro County in about the year 1844, we 
will quote from a history of this section written in 1892 
by one of the early residents: 

‘‘Deer, antelope, buffalo, wild horses, bears, 
panthers, wolves, Mexican hogs, wild turkeys, 
prairie chickens were in great abundance. The 
deer in herds were to be seen in any part of 
the country. The antelope were not so plenti¬ 
ful as on the plains. The buffalo came and 
went like a mighty torrent. They always 
traveled against the wind even though it car¬ 
ried sleet and snow. 

“The wild horses were seen in droves of 
from two to fifty. There were a great many on 
the prairies but more to be found in the cross 
timbers. 

“Bears prowled around the thickets and the 
panthers' wild screams and howling of the 


103 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


wolves made night thrilling. The wolves in 
those days were large and known as the ‘loaf¬ 
er.' They gradually disappeared and gave 
place to the little common prairie wolf of la¬ 
ter years. 

“The creeks and branches did not dry up 
then as they do now and fish were plentiful. 
Honey from wild bees was plentiful and about 
the only sweetening the settlers had. The 
lack of salt was a great trial as it was hard to 
obtain. 

“There were no roads and they traveled 
over the country by course and by prominent 
objects such as lone trees, clusters of trees 
and points of timbers." 

The first fair in Navarro County was sponsored by 
Navarro County Agricultural and Mechanical Associa¬ 
tion with J. B. Jones as secretary. 

The fair was held on Tuesday, Wednesday and 
Thursday, October 16-18, 1860. 

The place was “back of Mr. Neblett’s house." (W. H. 
Neblett’s home stood near the location of the present 
home of the Misses Freedman, on South Twelfth 
Street). 

This fair was held on the grounds near the present 
location of the union depot. This was largely a live¬ 
stock fair and Marion Martin of Wadeville, Nicholas 
Graham and a Mr. Finch of Chatfield and many others 
exhibited fine stock. There were exhibits of sewing, 


104 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


cooking and other fields of domestic accomplishment. 
In various ways it was an interesting fair but it was 
the last for several years due to the war between the 
states. 

There were many varieties of amusements held in 
conjunction with the early Navarro County fairs. 
Tournaments were very popular for several years af¬ 
ter the war. Participants in a tournament chose the 
names of ancient knights. The knight who caught the 
most rings on his lance rode, with a great flourish, up 
to the gallery where his lady-love was seated, and she 
was crowned. 

During the latter part of the 1850’s the life of 
the pioneer was enlivened by heated discussions of 
States rights, extension of slavery and other political 
questions. Texas was a divided state on the question 
of slavery and the inhabitants did not fully realize the 
fury of the approaching storm, while this issue was 
argued pro and con in every store and home and on ev¬ 
ery corner. Soon Texas was drawn into one of the 
most terrible conflicts the world has known and, after 
the South was vanquished, the inhabitants accepted 
their untold deprivations and humiliations and forged 
ahead with courage and determination. As the Union 
became more firmly welded the Lone Star State accept¬ 
ed its part of National responsibility and inhabitants of 
Texas no longer remember, except from an historical 
interest, the conflict which raged between the North¬ 
ern and Southern geographical sections of our com¬ 
monwealth. 


105 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


About the year 1860 the town of Corsicana had a 
population of some nine hundred white people and 
about three hundred negroes, while the population Of 
Navarro County as a whole was something like double 
this figure. 

When the citizens voted on secession in 1861 two 
hundred and thirteen favored it and only three oppos¬ 
ed it. The question of secession was not the only one in¬ 
volved between the North and South, since there were 
several political matters upon which there was a dif¬ 
ference of opinion. The slavery question, however, 
precipitated the final dissention. A meeting was held 
in Corsicana and the resolution to secede was adopted, 
the signers of this resolution being C. M. Winkler, Wil¬ 
liam F. Henderson, G. L. Martin, W. H. Neblett, Joseph 
Clayton, Elijah Melton and J. P. Anderson. This reso¬ 
lution was voted upon with the results enumerated 
above. 

Patriotic demonstrations were immediately held af¬ 
ter the voting, Confederate banners were raised over 
the court house and a company of men trained for 
emergencies. Communications were immediately made 
with Montgomery, the capital of the Confederacy from 
whence an appeal had been made for volunteers. About 
ninety men responded to this call and William Melton 
was elected captain, J. R. Oglebie, First Lieut., and J. 
H. Hill, Second Lieut. Capt. Melton felt he was too old 
for service and resigned in favor of C. M. Winkler. 

In the Navarro Express of Thursday, August 8, 
1861, was a roster of this group of men who were 


106 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


banded together under the name of the “Navarro Ri¬ 
fles.” 

A LIST OF MEMBERS OF THE NAVARRO RIFLES, 
AUGUST 8, 1861 

C. M. Winkler, Captain. 

Officers 

State of Nativity 


Captain, C. M. Winkler.N. Carolina 

1st Lieut. Loughridge.S. Carolina 

2nd. Lieut., J. R. Ogilvie.Tennessee 

3rd Lieut., B. J. C. Hill...Tennessee 

1st Sergeant, Mat Beasley.Mississippi 

2nd Sergeant, C. W. Pinnington, Commissary....Virginia 

3rd Sergeant, Wm. G. Jackson.-.Texas 

1st Corporal, J. T. Beasley.Mississippi 

2nd Corporal, J. D. Stewart.Tennessee 

Fifer, J. E. Melton....Georgia 

Drummer, J. L. Utzman..Tennessee 


Privates 

J. W. Duren (Mississippi), H. Harrison (Mississippi), 
J. W. Simmons (N. Carolina), J. H. Austin (Alabama), 
R. C. Armstrong (Louisiana), J. R. Beasley (Missis¬ 
sippi), W. G. Platt (Mississippi), J. W. McMorris (Ala¬ 
bama), B. F. Harper (Mississippi), J. T. Green (Missis¬ 
sippi), J. W. Crabtree (Missouri), P. Smith (Alabama), 


107 












HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


A. M. Lemmon (Missouri), T. L. Pursley (Arkansas), 
J. H. Hill (Tennessee), Jack Hill (Tennessee), J. C. 
Welch (Texas), Thomas Alfin (Alabama), T. J. Ses¬ 
sions (Mississippi), Ira Duncan (Tennessee), W. R. 
Jefferson (Freestone County), W. A. Fondren (Young 
County, Texas), R. H. Miller (Missouri), J. B. Owens 
(Alabama), R. N. Rice (Georgia), Joseph Hagle (Ger¬ 
many), E. S. Crabbe (Indiana), James H. Massey (Mis¬ 
souri), James Franklin (Kentucky), Charles Turpin 
(Kentucky), James Fagin (Tennessee), G. W. Hender¬ 
son (Illinois), J. Q. Harris (Georgia), L. W. Rice (Ala¬ 
bama), E. M. Greer (Alabama), Dr. N. J. Mills (Ken¬ 
tucky), R. C. Holloway (Virginia), W. W. Fuller (N. 
Carolina), S. B. Terrell (S. Carolina), B. F. Childress 
(Alabama), J. A. Caddell (Alabama), J. W. Westbrook 
(Mississippi), J. H. Barnet (Alabama), S. Weil (Ger¬ 
many), John Holdeman (Tennessee), James Herbert 
(Tennessee), J. M. Polk (Missouri), J. J. Harrison 
(Alabama), James Hamilton (Texas), W. M. Temple¬ 
ton (Alabama), Wm. H. Mitchell (Tennessee) J. A. Fos¬ 
ter (Virginia) J. H. Westbrook (Mississippi), A. L. 
Meador (Texas), H. L. W. Killean (Tennessee)), James 
Treadwell (Alabama), J. L. Anderson (Arkansas) M. 
L. Foster (Texas), T. A. Osborne (Alabama), Ira C. 
Jordon (Mississippi), Ambrose Barry (N. Carolina), 
E. G. Sessions (Mississippi), S. H. Neal (Mississippi), 
John Green (Kentucky), J. C. Walker (Kentucky), A. 
J. Brewster (Illinois), W. H. Boles (Nacogdoches Coun¬ 
ty, Texas), G. S. Boynton (Ohio), John Pickett (Ala¬ 
bama), Wm. T. Smith (Hill County, Tennessee), F. P. 
Dillard (Virginia), T. M. Lummins (Limestone County, 


108 


THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


Alabama), H. E. Walker (Texas), W. P. Spence (Rob¬ 
inson County, Illinois), S. M. Riggs (Missouri), W. C. 
Towers (Georgia), M. Barry (N. Carolina), J. H. Neal 
(Mississippi), P. H. Osborne (Alabama). 

The county appropriated $2,500 for the purchase of 
arms and ammunition and a training camp was estab¬ 
lished at Spring Hill, being located a mile or two North¬ 
west of the town. 

President Davis sent an urgent call to Texas for 
three regiments and this company of Navarro Rifles 
was the first to respond. Before going to Harrisburg 
for training several of the older men who had not ex¬ 
pected to serve more than one year were allowed to 
withdraw and the company was reorganized with the 
same officers. There were three training camps in 
Navarro County, located at Spring Hill, Corsicana 
and Raleigh. The captains of these companies 
were T. J. Haynes, Elijah Bishop, L. D. McConnico, F. 
M. Martin, Joseph Clayton, Henry Jones, B. J. Carroll, 
M. L. French, R. H. Matthews, Samuel Wright, Clin¬ 
ton Fouty and M. Fouty. In 1862 three companies were 
organized of which two were cavalry troops under the 
leadership of Henry Molloy and B. D. McKie. The 
third company was a company of infantry, under the 
guidance of Capt. J. H. Halbert. This was called the 
18th Regiment of Texas Volunteers. Following is a 
roster of Capt. Halbert’s company: 

Capt. J. L. Halbert; First Lieut., James Talley, Cor¬ 
sicana ; Senior Lieut., C. F. Fain, Milford; Junior Lieut. 


109 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


W. H. McElwee, Corsicana; First Sergt., A. M. Mil¬ 
ler, Milford; Second Sergt., N. H. Butler, Corsicana; 
Third Sergt., E. H. Carter, Camp Speight; Fourth 
Sergt., J. H. Melton, Corsicana; Fifth Sergt., J. E. 
Smith, Corsicana; Corporal, H. L. Caldwell, Milford; 
Corporal, L. J. Thomas, Corsicana; Corporal, Champe 
Carter, Milford; Corporal, A. J. McCrary, Milford. 

Following are the privates: W. J. Adams, Patton 
Anderson, and V. E. Burdine, Milford; William Bru¬ 
ton, Riley Beebe, James Bryant, Corsicana; H. G. Bost- 
wick and R. E. Carter, Milford; P. E. Carter, Camp 
Speight; John Carr, William Clapton, J. S. Cull, Corsi¬ 
cana; G. W. Couchman, Milford; P. R. Dean, Coryell 
County; J. E. Dunning, Milford; Jonathan Fowler, Cor¬ 
sicana; S. G. Fuller, W. F. Graves, W. H. Graves, Cor¬ 
sicana; J. T. Graves, Milford; J. N. Graves, Milford; 

G. H. Graham, J. T. Graham, G. W. Goodman, C. H. 
Harris, A. B. Highnote, J. H. Highnote, William Hun¬ 
ter, Levi Hooper, Corsicana; R. S. Hilburn, Milford; 
Frank Hensle, Galveston; William Hooper, Camp Dan¬ 
iel; Richard Ingraham, Corsicana; B. F. Jackson, Mil¬ 
ford; T. B. Jackson, Milford; J. P. Jones, Milford; J. 

H. Kutner, Camp Speight; Jacob Lorley, Corsicana; J. 
Malone, G. W. Mantooth, Felix Miller, M. W. Miller, L. 
C. Miller, Milford; James Maiden, W. M. McKinney, 
Corsicana; J. P. McElrath, Galveston; F. M. Reed, Cor¬ 
sicana; W. 0. Rankin, Corsicana; David Reno, Milford; 
Thomas Ramsey, Texarkana; Charles Ramsey, Texark¬ 
ana; Jepe Rector, T. J. Robinson, Milford; J. S. Roger, 
J. M. Scales, W. J. Smithey, John Westbrook, Corsica¬ 
na ; R. P. Stringer, Milford; T. J. Wilson, Corsicana; W. 


110 



Top: Allyn’s Corner, Beaton and Collin Streets in 1872 . 

Center: Third Navarro County court house, built in 1858 . 
The picture shows negro Federal soldiers guarding election 
proceedings in about 1869 or 1870 . 

Lower: Present Navarro County court house, built in 1905 . 



































THROUGH THE CIVIL WAR 


J. Graham, Hillsboro; H. P. Pippin, Camp Daniel; J. M. 
Zachary, Corsicana. 

Navarro County sent practically all of her able bod¬ 
ied men to the War, there remaining only a home guard 
of men too old for service or disabled soldiers who had 
returned from the battlefields. Of these elderly men 
and disabled soldiers patrols were formed which held 
misdemeanors in check and preserved law and order. 

Texas did not suffer so much from the Civil War as 
the other Southern States. The farms were neglected 
and business in general suffered but the fact that Tex¬ 
as bordered on the Gulf and had several ports, which 
remained open, kept up a certain amount of commerce 
during the conflict. Women and children did the work, 
spinning and weaving clothing for the soldiers and do¬ 
ing all possible, to hold their homes together. The War 
lasted four years and these were four years of frugal 
living, hard work and much sadness and distress. At 
the end of the War the survivors returned to find their 
slaves freed, their farms neglected and fortunes dis¬ 
sipated. The reconstruction period required as much 
stamina as did the years of the conflict. 

After the War, Union soldiers, some of whom were 
arrogant and abusive, were sent to Texas, but some of 
these men were of the highest type and records indi¬ 
cate that one captain in particular, A. R. Chaffee, won 
the respect and appreciation of all Navarro citizens for 


111 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


his many good qualities. Capt. Chaffee later became 
a general in command of United States troops in the 
Philippine Islands. 

In 1870 Texas was readmitted to the Union. In 1874 
Federal soldiers were withdrawn and Texas again pass¬ 
ed back into the hands of Texans. 



112 






CHAPTER VI 


Development 

P ROGRESS, regular and continuous, was the portion 
of Navarro County in the Seventies, Eighties and 
Nineties. 

More brick stores were built as were banks, hotels, 
churches, paved streets, water works, telephone, tele¬ 
graph, electric lights, fire protection, public library, 
and Y. M. C. A., more newspapers, more mills, gins, oil 
mills, flour mills, and a new court house, a city hall, 
and there were improvements in the city government. 

The citizens of Navarro County were beginning to 
feel “at home” and enjoy a measure of prosperity in all 
lines. Large pastures were cut up into farms and 
fenced with barbed wire. Cotton was raised extensive¬ 
ly, and it brought a good price on an average. 

Fraternal orders became more numerous, social clubs 
were organized, literary clubs and musical clubs follow¬ 
ed and Navarro began to have that complacence which 
comes of long residence and prosperity. Progressive, 
yet conservative, people had time to enjoy some of 
those things which make life richer with time for cul- 


113 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


tivating some of the social pleasures as well as busi¬ 
ness successes. 

Two “Fish Tanks” afforded much enjoyment to 
their organizers. The Corsicana Country Club now oc¬ 
cupies the place of Fish Tank No. 2. For fishing, others 
went to Richland Creek or Patterson’s Lake, to Trinity 
River or Daniels Lake (East of Kerens). All of these 
places still contribute to the pleasures of Navarro citi¬ 
zens. 

Instead of general camp meetings, each denomination 
had its revival in the different churches. An opera 
house supplied a place for the histrionic pleasures, as 
well as a place for public gatherings, lectures, and high 
school commencements. People had time to devote to 
style and personal adornment. The hair was worn in 
pompadour, which was to roll the front hair over a 
“rat”. The back hair was twisted into a “psyche” 
or an “eight,” cm the back of the head. On top of all 
of this was perched a “concoction” of silk or velvet, 
adorned with ostrich plumes, birds or wings and pin¬ 
ned on with long and much adorned hatpins. If it 
caused headache, the complaint was not made public. 

Sometimes a broad sailor hat was worn, so broad 
that it sometimes required skill to enter a door or the 
train. High heeled kid shoes, laced or buttoned, some 
times to the knees, were correct. The toes of the shoes 
were pointed and the more pointed the better. Stock¬ 
ings were not noticed or thought about except as stock¬ 
ings. They did not become “hose” till some years later. 


114 


DEVELOPMENT 


Dresses were long and circular, many gored, having 
sometimes, three linings or crinolines, which gave them 
a distinguished sweep and under them from one to 
three underskirts were worn. In summer organdies 
and silks were ruffled and trimmed with yards and 
yards of lace or stitching and tucks. All seams were 
bound. 

The waists, or basques, were close fitting and all 
seams were boned. Sleeves were leg o’ mutton and 
contained yards of material. Corsets were things of 
punishment and when a woman was fully dressed in 
hat, shoes, and dress, she was fearfully and wonderful¬ 
ly accoutered. 

As the years went on and “hobbled skirts” came in, 
Navarro did her part as usual. But that could not last. 
When skirts began their recession, the “rats” disap¬ 
peared. “Hose” began to be noticed and this continued 
until a rumor of “Health and the Liberty and Common 
sense” evolved the present costume of woman. Those 
who adhere to it are modestly and comfortably dressed. 
The extreme bobbed hair has passed and the present 
coiffeur is a soft wave and a soft knot at the back of 
the head. 

Many of the children of the early pioneers were al¬ 
lowed to call their parents, “Mammy,” and “Pappy,” es¬ 
pecially the children of Southerners in the Seventies 
and Eighties. “Pa” and “Ma” were sometimes the appel¬ 
lations, but as conditions became more prosperous and 
the population grew more sophisticated “Papa” and 
“Mama” became the accepted terms. 


115 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Then as women were liberated with “equality”, a 
much-used term in thought and reality, many children 
were taught to use the given names of their parents, 
while others say “Mother,” and as the male parent has 
so far as he knows, achieved no great liberty, is called 
“Dad” by his family. 

In 1886 important changes were made in the map of 
Corsicana; street designations being completely chang¬ 
ed by numbering all the streets which ran North and 
South and designating avenues as running East and 
West. In this transition Church Street became Fift¬ 
eenth, Jefferson became Third Avenue, while Confed¬ 
erate Street was changed to Seventh Avenue. Bois de 
'Arc Street was changed to Main Street and Pecan 
Street was changed to Twelfth. White Street was 
changed to Fifth Avenue. Cedar Street was designated 
as Thirteenth and Mulberry was changed to Four¬ 
teenth. Originally the first street East of Beaton was 
known as Marshall and was followed in order by Belk¬ 
nap, Decatur, Milam, Dresden and Rusk. Washington 
Street was changed to First Avenue and Main Street 
was changed to Second Avenue while Jackson Street 
was changed to Fourth Avenue and a new map of Cor¬ 
sicana was made with pictures and locations of build¬ 
ings. 

This map contained correct pictures of the streets, 
and of residences and business houses, especially those 
on street corners. 

From the American Sketch Book published by Mrs. 
Swisher in 1880 and now kept in State Library in Aus¬ 
tin: 


116 





















































































































































* 





























































































DEVELOPMENT 


“Children in scholastic age, from eight to fourteen, 
are about five hundred, thirty per cent of which are 
colored. Corsicana has a population of four thousand 
six hundred, positively, while according to the compu¬ 
tation of competent judges five thousand souls are 
alive within her corporation. 

“Corsicana has one hundred prominent business 
houses, eight churches, consisting of the following de¬ 
nominations: one Episcopalian, one Presbyterian, one 
Cumberland Presbyterian, two Methodist, two Baptist 
and one Catholic. 

“Masonic, Odd Fellows, Knights of Honor, Manches¬ 
ter Unity, Jewish Order, and other secret and benevo¬ 
lent orders are creditably organized, and prospering in 
their respective orders. 

“It has a spacious and attractive Opera Hall, steam 
cotton gins, grist and flouring mills, wagon and car¬ 
riage factory, and many other smaller industries. 

“Corsicana sold merchandise to the amount of one 
million two hundred and fifty thousand dollars during 
the year ending September 1, 1879. Her report of cot¬ 
ton from January 1, 1880 to April 3, 1880, were twelve 
thousand one hundred and six bales “also thirty thou¬ 
sand bushels of com, sixty-five thousand pounds of 
hides, two thousand four hundred and thirty head of 
cattle. Thirty-five thousand pounds of wool. 

“In 1871 the town contained a population of eight 
hundred with an assessed value of taxable property of 
one hundred thousand dollars. Today as stated above 


117 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 

nearly five thousand souls occupy the place with an 
assessed value of taxable property of one million. 

‘The legal bar of Corsicana cannot be surpassed by 
that of any other in the state for ability and worth 
and the state will yet be illuminated by such of her 
other lights as now shine so brilliantly. We speak of 
the Chesterfield congressman Mills, and the courteous 
and gallant Judge C. M. Winkler. 

“The number of lawyers are twenty-eight, including 
a few recently admitted besides a number of ambitious 
students. 

“Physicians practicing here are about ten or twelve, 
while two fine dentists are located in Corsicana. 

“There are five restaurants, numerous boarding 
houses, three hotels, of which the Mallory house 
stands pre-eminent and first, and for courtesy, atten¬ 
tion, cleanliness, it is utterly impossible to find its 
superior. 

“Ten saloons do a good business here although the 
city is of the most orderly character and intoxication 
rarely seen. 

“The post office at Corsicana is what is termed a sec¬ 
ond class one, and pays a salary of $2000 per annum. 

“Corsicana has four livery stables, two wagon yards, 
and six cotton yards. 

“A contract has been sealed for the speedy comple¬ 
tion of a fine and costly court house, which is to occupy 
the prominent position where the old one now stands. 


118 


DEVELOPMENT 


This building, with its stately dome, together with the 
many cloud kissed spires that surround it, will surely 
lend a more metropolitan feature to her appearance.” 

Names of some firms mentioned in Mrs. Swisher's 
Sketch Book: Mrs. Pauline Wood, postmistress; J. D. 
Wood, assistant; J. C. Johnson, dealer in groceries, 
furniture, etc.; Simpkins and Simpkins, attorneys at 
law; R. P. Goodman and Company, wholesale and re¬ 
tail groceries; A. Fox and Brother, wholesale and retail 
dealers in dry goods, clothing, hats, furnishing goods, 
boots, shoes, etc.; H. G. Damon, attorney at law; Wil¬ 
liam Croft, attorney and counsellor at law; Beale and 
Jones, attorneys at law and land agents; Bryan T. 
Barry of Frost and Barry, attorney at law, notary 
public and general collecting agent; J. M. Blanding, at¬ 
torney at law and general land and collecting agent; 
Chas. H. Allyn and Company, grocers; Mallory and 
Allen, clothing, boots, shoes and gent’s furnishing 
goods; Bates and White, jobbers and dealers in boots 
and shoes; F. W. Carruthers, dealer in hardware, 
stoves, iron, plows, nails, crockery, glassware, paints, 
and oils; R. Freedman and Company, dealers in dry 
goods, clothing, boots, shoes, hats, notions, furnishing 
goods, etc; Kamsler Brothers and Company, wholesale 
and retail dealers in staple and fancy dry goods, hats, 
boots, shoes, notions, etc.; J. T. Sullivan and Com¬ 
pany, manufacturer and dealer in boots, shoes and 
rubbers; J. E. Whiteselle, dealer in Michigan, Louisiana 
and Texas pine lumber, shingles and all kinds of build¬ 
ing material; C. McClarkle, Austin state agent for the 
Tennessee improved wagon. 


119 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


CATTLE INDUSTRY 

For many years after the settlement of Navarro 
County the raising of cattle was the principal 
occupation of the pioneers. The country was 
all open and offered no hindrance to cattle grazing 
where the owners desired. The stockman of early 
times found the marauding Indians carrying off stock 
from time to time and the occasional forays made by 
cattle rustlers were a source of annoyance but with 
abundant grazing lands and ample territory over which 
to range his cattle these annoyances were only of a 
minor character. 

The invention of barbed wire, the improved market 
for farm products, the decreasing value of cattle and 
the passing of a state stock law lessened the oppor¬ 
tunities in the cattle industry and it declined. 

The Texas Almanac of 1858 says that it cost at that 
time about the same amount to raise a cow as it did 
to raise a chicken but it is interesting to note that a 
cow also sold for about the same amount as a chicken. 

With the coming of the railroads, however, and the 
connecting of the Atlantic and Pacific by rail, markets 
for cattle began to spring up along the new railroads 
and the price of cattle increased ten or twenty fold 
within a period of a very few years. The cattle drives 
Northward from Texas to Dodge City, Abilene and 
other points on the railroad are in themselves a chap¬ 
ter in Texas history and many volumes have been 


120 


DEVELOPMENT 


written and many moving pictures made with these 
early Texas cattle drives as the background. 

The first person in Navarro County to secure a brand 
was Henry Cook who recorded a cattle brand in 1846 
and he was followed by John R. Lansford in the same 
year. In 1847 Daniel Fuller, Daniel Boyd and practi¬ 
cally every other resident of the county, who owned a 
few cattle, registered some form of brand. 

With the coming of fences and increasing develop¬ 
ment of agriculture, together with a decline in the 
price of cattle, the industry settled down to a normal 
basis and the boom days of the cow business disap¬ 
peared. 


COTTON RAISING 

Navarro County is one of the leading cotton coun¬ 
ties in Texas. The fibre from this plant has a very im¬ 
portant effect on the economic life not only of America 
but also England, Japan, Russia and other foreign 
countries. For more than one hundred years the 
greater part of the world’s supply of cotton has been 
obtained from the Southern half of the United States. 

As mentioned previously, the cattle industry was the 
first to obtain an important place in Navarro County, 
but it was followed upon adoption of the barbed wire, 
by agriculture, and cotton was, from early times, the 
leading crop, after which the progress of cattle and 
cotton industries went hand in hand. Each contributed 
to the growth of the other. Records indicate that 


121 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Jared E. Groce brought one hundred slaves and a small 
amount of cotton seed to Texas in 1821. The grant to 
Groce by Stephen F. Austin entitled him to eighty 
acres of land for each slave. His home, the first 
cotton plantation in Texas, was established near 
where the town of Courtney now stands and the 
first cotton gin was built on the Brazos River in 1826. 

The first bale of cotton from Navarro County was 
grown either by William Roberts or W. C. Petty, both 
of whom settled in Navarro County in 1846. The first 
steam cotton gin in Corsicana was on Elm Creek, about 
two and one-half miles South of town. It belonged 
to Newell Hodges. The William Roberts farm was 
a short distance West from where the present high 
school stands and an old ox power mill and gin, owned 
by Harlan and Baker, adjoined this farm on the South. 
The cotton was fed into this gin from baskets and only 
two or three bales could be ginned in one day. There 
were several gins of this kind in the county during the 
1850’s. 

William Hamilton bought a lot of cotton in 1852, 
hauled it to Chambers’ Creek, loaded it on a flat 
boat and took it to Houston where it sold at about 10c 
per pound. This venture was not profitable and so was 
not repeated. Some of the cotton was hauled from 
Navarro County overland in ox wagons to Houston, 
the wagons making the return trip with lumber, food 
or dry goods. 

The production of cotton in Navarro County had 
grown from 51,000 bales in 1901, the first year of 


122 


DEVELOPMENT 


which we have a record, to 110,000 bales in 1911, which 
was the peak year of production. The average produc¬ 
tion fluctuates now around 80,000 bales a year. 

A cotton mill was established in Corsicana in 1896 
by George T. Jester and other leading citizens and at 
the present time has approximately 15,000 spindles. 

Henry W. Grady, said of cotton, “What a royal plant 
it is! The World waits in attendance upon its growth. 
The showers that fall whispering on its leaves, are 
heard round the earth. 

The sun that shines upon it is tempered by the pray¬ 
ers of all peoples. The frost that chills it and the dews 
that descend from the stars are noted, and the tres¬ 
pass of a little worm on its leaves is more to England 
than the advance of the Russian Army on her out¬ 
posts in China. 

The fibre is current in every bank; it is gold, from 
the time it puts forth its tiny shoot, and when loosen¬ 
ing its fleece to the sun, it floats a banner that glori¬ 
fies the field of the humble farmer”. Because all this 
was and is true, speculators and politicians, found a 
fertile field for their activities. 

Navarro County, with other counties and states, lost 
sight of and neglected other industries, and cotton be¬ 
came an obsession. 

Cotton was an easy crop, until the devastation of the 
boll-weevil and other insects, began about twenty-five 
years ago. 


123 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Cotton seed became valuable, and the feeding of cot¬ 
ton seed meal and cake, gave an impetus to cattle rais¬ 
ing and feeding, so that the two industries became a 
great part of Navarro County’s resources. 

SCHOOLS 

As soon as the settlement in a frontier country is 
formed one of the first thoughts is the education of 
the children. 

The early settlers of Navarro County found no pro¬ 
vision made for educating their children other than 
what they could produce themselves. But some tutors 
were brought from the old States and from time to 
time enterprising individuals would get a sufficient 
number of pupils to agree to attend school to afford a 
teacher and thus formed the basis for the present ef¬ 
ficient educational system of Navarro County. 

After the establishment of Navarro County and erec¬ 
tion of the log court house this building was used as a 
school house when court was not in session, with Mack 
Eliot and Prof. Laffoon among the first teachers. A 
two-story cedar log house on the corner of Jefferson 
Street and Church Street was afterwards built. An 
academy was conducted in the lower story and the Ma¬ 
sonic Lodge occupied the upper story. 

Professor Robb taught in the academy. 

William Peck and his wife conducted a successful 
school which opened about 1850, and boasted of more 
than two hundred pupils. Capt. Peck and family later 


124 


DEVELOPMENT 


moved to Fairfield, where they made a permanent 
home. 

Captain Peck’s son, W. M. Peck, and daughter, Mrs. 
Rufus Hardy, are well known in the life of Corsicana 
and have for many years been identified with the wel¬ 
fare of the town and county. 

Later Dr. Modrall taught a girls’ school, in the acad¬ 
emy, and Dr. Molloy taught a boys’ school, and when 
Dr. Modrall moved away, Dr. Molloy combined the two 
and was a successful and popular teacher. 

Dr. Modrall was not only a teacher, but also pastor 
of the Cumberland Presbyterian Church. While living 
here his daughter, Mrs. J. R. Love, died and was buried 
West of the town in which is now called Modrall Ceme¬ 
tery. 

Among other teachers in Corsicana, in these years, 
and who taught at different places were, Mrs. Marilla 
Dickson and Miss Sallie Duren. 

By 1860 conditions had so progressed that there were 
at least five good boarding schools in the county. They 
were located at Dresden, Chatfield and three in Corsi¬ 
cana. 

One was advertised as follows: 

“Corsicana Female Institute now in the first session 
of the third year, under the superintendence of the 
Senior Editor of this paper (the Navarro Express) as- 


125 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sisted by Miss Belle Ish in the Literary and Miss Jose¬ 
phine Tully, in the Musical Department. 

“Terms of Tuition: 

“Junior Classes, $10.00 per session; Middle Classes, 
$12.50 per session; Senior Classes, $15.00 per session; 
Latin or French, $5.00 extra; Music with instruments 
$25.00. 

“Each pupil in the Literary Department is charged 
one dollar per session extra, to constitute a contingent 
expense fund—board, lodging, washing, etc., can be 
had in good families, at from eight to ten dollars per 
month.” 

A boarding school at “Chatfield Point” was taught 
by Rev. Wm. H. Stokes, principal, and Miss Mary Sten- 
haur, assistant.” 

Right along at this time classes were being taught 
in the different communities, for from the settlement 
of the first colonies, the importance of education was 
realized, and considering the difficulties which faced 
them at all times, there can be for them now, only won¬ 
der and appreciation. 

A military school flourished in the early days of Cor¬ 
sicana and many of the sons of the early settlers at¬ 
tended. This educational institution was started by 
Major Henry Bishop, his wife and brother, and was lo¬ 
cated at the South end of Church (now Fifteenth) 
Street on land donated by Major Beaton for the pur¬ 
pose. The school had an enrollment of around 200 stu- 


126 


DEVELOPMENT 


dents and was very successful during its day. Major 
Bishop’s wife died and this brought sorrow to the 
school’s head and caused him to sell out his interest 
hnd move away from Corsicana, whereupon the school 
gradually lost some of its prestige and finally suspend¬ 
ed operations entirely. 

Two sisters were connected with the early education¬ 
al life of Corsicana. These were Miss Ellen Ferguson 
who later became the wife of Dr. Mills, and her sister, 
Miss Sally Ferguson, who specialized in music. Another 
one of the early music teachers was Mrs. Ellen Reid, 
widow of Nick Reid who was a promising young law¬ 
yer who unfortunately died before attaining the pin¬ 
nacles of success which might have crowned his efforts 
had he lived to a more mature age. 

Mrs. Emma Townsend came to Corsicana as a bride 
in the early Seventies and not only has she been inter¬ 
ested in teaching both from text books and by precept 
but has also been interested in everything concerning 
the betterment of the community. Her own life is 
proof of the correctness of her theories and the virtue 
of her teaching. 

A private school was operated from 1879 until 1887 
by Mrs. L. T. Gulick who never accepted more than 
eighty pupils and inspired these to excell in culture and 
learning. Her school was noted for its rigorous dis¬ 
cipline. Mrs. Gulick always attained the love and re¬ 
spect of all her pupils and after a lifetime of usefulness 
died and was buried in Oakwood Cemetery in 1927. 

Quite an elaborate “female college” existed in Cor- 
127 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sicana in 1880 under the guidance of Professor R. J. 
Robert as president. Assisting him was a corps of 
teachers consisting of Mrs. Anna Woods, Natural 
sciences, Miss Emma Sims, primary, Professor Scher- 
macher, a graduate from Leipsic, in charge of music, 
with Professor Cummings as his assistant. This col¬ 
lege boasted a department of art under the jurisdic¬ 
tion of Miss Hopkins and a department of chemistry, 
physiology and hygiene under Dr. J. A. Allen who 
lectured at stated periods on these subjects. In the 
Dallas News of June 18, 1880, there appeared the fol¬ 
lowing item in the society section: 

“The Exhibition given by the Corsicana 
Female College was a decided success. 

“Miss Hershey and her class in Calisthen¬ 
ics was one of the principal features of the 
evening. The music, under the efficient dir¬ 
ection of Miss Rooney, was admirably render¬ 
ed. 


“An essay, ‘Knowledge is Power/ by Miss 
Ethel Fairfax, was very well given. Essay 
‘The Fashionable Young Man/ was handled 
most gracefully by Miss Emma Rakestraw. 

“The following young ladies deserve special 
mention: Misses Addie Robert, Ora Drane, 
Hattie Phillips, Maud McCormick, Lena 
Drane, May and Lula Johnson.” 

Miss Virginia Moseley taught a private school which 
was located at the comer of Fourth Avenue and Thir- 


128 


DEVELOPMENT 


teenth Street and which was for years the home of 
Merit Drane. This school flourished during the years 
1880-1884. In the same house Mrs. Miller, whose hus¬ 
band was a physician, conducted a school. 

A convent was built and the school opened in 1880. 
Students from different parts of the country boarded 
at the convent and day pupils whose parents lived in 
town also attended. The site for the convent was don¬ 
ated by Mrs. Noonan and on this site the present 
church was built in 1896. The clear, sweet tones of 
the bell in this church have called its faithful members 
to worship from the year in which it was built until the 
present time. The convent building was sold to the city 
a few years ago and a grade school stands where the 
former educational institution flourished. Among the 
more recent private schools is the one operated by Miss 
Lucy Carroll who has very successfully conducted a 
fine private institution through the years and has had 
a class of students graduate each term. 

A school for boys was taught by S. E. Gideon in the 
Nineties and was located on Seventh Avenue. The 
house was remodeled and is now a residence. 

After the Civil War there were many subscription 
schools in operation which received a small sum of 
money yearly from the state. This amount allowed 
a very short free term of school during which time the 
classes were over-crowded but during the remainder of 
the school year the numbers were limited to those who 
could afford to pay tuition. Independent school dis¬ 
tricts were first organized in the late Seventies and 


129 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


taxes were levied for the support of the schools and 
bonds issued and sold with which to erect buildings. 
Navarro County was one of the first to take advantage 
of this new law and the first public school building in 
Corsicana was erected in 1881 on the site of the pres¬ 
ent high school. A school for negroes was erected at 
about the same time on the site of the G. W. Jackson 
School. It is evident that no school census was taken 
in order to arrive at the correct number of teachers 
needed since the records indicate that only six teach¬ 
ers were elected whereas sufficient pupils attended 
school to have kept ten teachers occupied in their in¬ 
struction. 

The City Council in 1882 which consisted of L. R. 
Irons as mayor, and George Phillips, C. H. Allyn, R. P. 
Goodman, N. C. Read, John S. Gibson and J. D. Richer 
as aldermen, elected J. T. Hand of Brenham as the 
first superintendent of Corsicana schools. His term 
was to be for one year at a salary of $1,500. The teach¬ 
ing staff consisted of Capt. J. A. Townsend, princi¬ 
pal, Miss M. E. Davis, Miss Ida Lawrence, Miss Flor¬ 
ence Z. Bright, Miss Helen Halbert and Mrs. Ellen 
Mills. This force was increased within a few weeks by 
the addition of Miss Sally Evans and Mrs. Hal Greer. 

Miss Lawrence is at present librarian in the Sam 
Houston Teachers College at Huntsville. Miss 
Halbert is now Mrs. Groce of Waxahachie and Miss 
Davis is married and lives at Denison. Miss Sallie 
Evans has taught continuously in Corsicana since her 


130 


DEVELOPMENT 


appointment. Grateful pupils of Miss Evans have re¬ 
cently given her an attractive home as evidence of 
their appreciation. Miss Florence Z. Bright taught 
from 1882 until 1927 at which time she moved to Beau¬ 
mont and now resides with her brother in that city. 

One of the early educators of Corsicana was Capt. 
J. A. Townsend who, as mentioned, was made prin¬ 
cipal of the first independent school. Capt. Town¬ 
send came to Corsicana January 20, 1872, from 
Owensville and began teaching on January 27 of the 
same year. He had previously taught at Owensville 
and while there met and married Miss Emma Davis. 
He and his wife had taught private and subscription 
schools in Corsicana before the coming of the indepen¬ 
dent school district. His original school, known as 
Cedar Hall, stood on the location of the present Third 
Avenue Church manse but was later moved and 
occupied the corner where the home of Miss Molly Gib* 
son now stands. Capt. Townsend is remembered as 
faithful and conscientious and did much toward the 
education of the youth of Corsicana. 

Mr. Hand, the first superintendent, was also ex¬ 
tremely well liked by all residents of the community. 
He had the reputation of being one of the outstanding 
men of the time in Texas school circles. He also had 
the reputation of being a very conservative man yet he 
endeavored at all times to lead in advancement of edu¬ 
cation. One of this first superintendent's outstanding 
accomplishments was his ability to guide and counsel 
the inexperienced teacher and to take a corps of teach- 


131 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ers who were new to graded school work and under 
trying conditions operate an efficient school system is 
an index of his ability. Mr. Hand remained in Corsi¬ 
cana schools five years and moved to Dallas but later 
returned to Corsicana schools for a time. 

He was succeeded as superintendent of the Cor¬ 
sicana schools by J. M. Carlisle who was in turn 
followed by Charles T. Alexander and Mr. Alexander 
was succeeded by Mr. Faust. Mr. Hand then returned to 
Corsicana and his successor was H. S. Melear who 
still lives in Corsicana and practices law. Mr. Melear 
was succeeded by J. W. Cantwell and he was fol¬ 
lowed by J. E. Blair who remained in Corsicana for 
a number of years and left a good imprint on the school 
system as well as on the community. During the ad¬ 
ministration of Mr. Blair a bond issue was voted and 
the expansion of the school system made possible al¬ 
though the bonds were not sold due to the financial 
market becoming unsettled by the World War and the 
funds derived from the sale of the bonds were well 
utilized by H. D. Fillers who followed Mr. Blair as su¬ 
perintendent. 

Mr. Fillers became superintendent of the schools in 
1928 and retained his position until 1931, at which 
time he was appointed superintendent of schools at 
Wichita Falls and his place was taken by W. H. Nor¬ 
wood who had been principal of the high school for 
several years. 

The first expansion of the Corsicana public school 
system was the addition of two rooms to the original 


132 


DEVELOPMENT 


Collin Street school and after this a school was built 
in East Corsicana. The school building in East Cor¬ 
sicana was called David Crockett School. A new 
one-story brick house located near the old one, is now 
the David Crockett School. The third ward school 
which was called the Stephen F. Austin School 
and originally had only four rooms was next built and 
this old building for a time was the high school. The 
next school building erected was Mineral Hill which is 
now the William B. Travis school. The original build¬ 
ing had four rooms but was demolished and the pres¬ 
ent comfortable, modem structure of fourteen class 
rooms, cafeteria, offices and rest rooms was erected. 
The junior high school on West Fifth Avenue original¬ 
ly housed the high school. The present high school on 
the site of the first public school building is a credit to 
Corsicana. The Robert E. Lee School now occupies a 
beautiful site on Collins Hill, which is the highest point 
in Corsicana. The new junior high school was opened 
in September, 1931, and a new building has been pro¬ 
vided on First Avenue which makes the Corsicana 
school system a credit to Navarro County. 

G. W. Jackson who was elected first principal of the 
colored schools in 1882 retained that position for forty- 
four years and at his retirement he was elected Grand 
Master of the United Order of Odd Fellows for Texas, 
Arizona and New Mexico. When the old building was 
replaced in 1925 by the modern new building of six¬ 
teen class rooms, cafeteria and splendid auditorium it 
was named the G. W. Jackson School in honor of this 
first principal. 


133 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Members of the present Corsicana Board of Educa¬ 
tion are: W. P. McCammon, president; Mrs. H. R. 
Stroube, vice-president; C. A. Middleton, secretary; 
Mrs. W. T. Shell, Dr. J. W. David, N. Suttle Roberts, 
R. L. Wheelock. Members of the athletic council are: 
Beauford Jester, C. S. Stroud, W. H. Norwood, su¬ 
perintendent schools; W. P. McCammon, president 
board of education; C. A. Middleton, secretary board 
of education; 0. P. Douglas, principal senior high 
school; 0. F. Allen, principal junior high school; John¬ 
nie Pierce, coach. 

FINANCIAL HISTORY 

There were no banks in Corsicana or Navarro Coun¬ 
ty until 1870. Trunks and drawers were used as depos¬ 
itories with an occasional box buried for protection. 
For various reasons some of these boxes were forgot¬ 
ten until they became lost. There have been many 
searchers for “lost or buried treasure” in Navarro 
County. 

The first bank established in Corsicana was that of 
Adams & Leonard. It was opened about 1870. 

Capt. James Garitty was connected with this bank, 
and when, a few years later, Adams and Leonard mov¬ 
ed to Dallas, the firm in Corsicana became Garitty, 
Huey and Baxter. It was a private bank until 1886, 
when it became the First National Bank, with Capt. 
James Garitty, president; and J. Huey, vice president, 
and E. H. Church, cashier. 

When first established by Adams and Leonard, it 
was located on the corner of Fourth Avenue and Bea- 


134 



— Photos, Courtesy Electric Studio. 

Top: Scene after disastrous fire which destroyed an entire block in 
Corsicana business district in 1883 . 

Center: Old R. N. White home, formerly located where the Ideal 
Theater now stands. 

Bottom: Beaton street business district opposite scene of fire in 
1883 . 





































/ 


DEVELOPMENT 


ton Streets, at the present location of Marks Bros, and 
in what was then called the Pundt Building, a boxed 
house. Later it was moved across the street, and fur¬ 
ther south. Finally to the present location, on comer 
of Beaton Street and Sixth Avenue. It has always been 
regarded as one of the most conservative and prosper¬ 
ous banks in the country. 

The present officers are: J. N. Edens, president; C. 
H. Mills, vice-president; A. M. Milligan, vice-presi¬ 
dent ; Mrs. Kate Whiteselle, vice-president; R. L. Ham¬ 
ilton, vice president; J. N. Garitty, vice-president; A. 
G. Elliott, vice-president; R. L. Wheelock, vice-presi¬ 
dent; J. H. Roberts, cashier; Sam H. Slay, assistant 
cashier; F. T. Lindsey, assistant cashier; Chas. W. 
Croft, assistant cashier; J. H. Brown, assistant cash¬ 
ier. 

Not very long after this bank was established, an¬ 
other private bank was organized by J. B. Jones, A. F. 
Robbins and others. 

About 1879 still another private bank was organized 
by Jester, Prendergraft & Company. A few years la¬ 
ter, Prendergraft withdrew, and the bank was of the 
firm of Jester Bros. In 1887, it became the Corsicana 
National Bank, with Geo. T. Jester, president; C. W. 
Jester, vice-president, and L. L. Jester, cashier; T. P. 
Kerr, assistant cashier. 

The City National Bank was organized in 1890, with 
W. R. Bright, president, and S. D. Curtis, vice-presi¬ 
dent; J. H. Martin, cashier. This bank consolidated 
with the Corsicana National Bank, in 1918. 


135 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The First State Bank was organized in 1907, with 
J. A. Thompson, president; G. J. Heflin, vice-president 
and R. B. Caldwell, cashier. This bank was located on 
corner of Beaton Street and Fifth Avenue. 

In 1909, the Jesters disposed of their interest in the 
Corsicana National, and bought into the First State 
Bank. Likewise J. A. Thompson, disposed of his interest 
in the First State Bank and bought into the Corsicana 
National. 

Geo. T. Jester became president of the First State 
Bank; J. 0. Burke, vice-president, and Geo. E. Jester 
cashier. J. A. Thompson became president of the Cor¬ 
sicana National Bank. 

In 1931, the First State Bank merged with the State 
National Bank, and the Corsicana National merged 
with the First National Bank. 

The State National Bank was organized in 1917, with 
B. B. Munsey, president; P. D. Williams, vice-president; 
G. C. Dunn, vice-president; E. L. Dupuy, vice-presi¬ 
dent, and L. C. Morgan, cashier. 

In 1924, I. N. Cerf became president, with P. D. Wil¬ 
liams, vice-president; N. Suttle Roberts, vice-president. 
The present officers also include Geo. E. Jester, vice- 
president; J. E. Butler, vice-president; W. M. David¬ 
son, cashier, and Hallie G. Hampton, assistant cashier. 

The Central State Bank was organized in 1920, with 
W. C. Francis, president; J. W. Oates, vice-president, 
and W. J. Rochelle, cashier. 


136 


DEVELOPMENT 


In July, 1921, C. L. Knox became president, E. Wiley 
Johnson, vice-president; C. J. Knox, vice-president; W. 
H. Fendley, vice-president. 

In 1927, this bank merged with the First National 
Bank. 


ORPHANS HOMES 

The State Orphans’ Home was located West of Cor¬ 
sicana, and formally opened July 16th, 1889, with Col. 
Gaither as superintendent, and his daughter as matron. 

Although the capacity was then two hundred, it op¬ 
ened with but sixty boys and girls. Lewis T. Carpen¬ 
ter was the first teacher. Col. W. A. Wortham and his 
wife soon were installed as superintendent and matron. 
They were there for about eight years, and were de¬ 
voted to the children who called them “Grandpa” and 
“Grandma”. They gave to the children loving, just, 
and careful supervision. There are now about 884 
children. The teachers have increased in number to 
about thirty. The buildings from one, to more than a 
dozen. The dairy barn is said to be one of the best in 
Texas, caring for about 135 cows. J. S. Halley, present 
superintendent, is at the head of a very important 
community. 

The I. 0. 0. F. Home, located near by, was estab¬ 
lished about the same time, and has a like history. J. 
D. Story and his wife were among the first who had 
charge there. 


137 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


There are now about 800 children; for many years 
there was a Home also, for aged people, but this has 
been moved to Ennis. Ross Harris and his wife have 
charge of the Home in Corsicana. 

The children in these homes have an opportunity of 
securing an education equal to that of the children of 
any public school in Texas. 

Many of the useful and loyal citizens now in Texas 
and Navarro County, were cared for and educated in 
one of these homes. 

LATER MILITARY ORGANIZATIONS 

The Garitty Rifles, so called in honor of Capt. 
James Garitty, was organized in August, 1889, with 
G. W. Hardy, captain; Jas. A. Higbee, first lieutenant; 
S. B. Robinson, second lieutenant, with forty men en¬ 
listed, of them two are still here, H. C. Ballew and S. 
B. Robinson. The company was known as Company G, 
4th Texas Guard, A. G. Huston, colonel. In 1893, Capt. 
Hardy was promoted to the rank of major, and 
Lieut. P. C. Townsend, elected captain. In 1893 and 
1894 this company took first camp prizes. 

In 1894 Capt. Townsend was promoted to rank of 
major, and Lieut. E. C. Lee, elected captain. In 1897 
Arthur Polk served as captain, taking the company to 
the national drill at San Antonio that year. 

Lieutenants Jas. W. McGill, David P. Talley and 
Chas. A. Rankin were well known with the old Com¬ 
pany G of the 4th Texas Volunteers. 


138 


DEVELOPMENT 


At the outbreak of the Spanish-American War, this 
company was mustered in as Company I of the Second 
Regiment of Infantry, U. S. Volunteers. It was sworn 
into service of the United States at Austin, Texas, May 
13th, 1898. It was mustered out on Nov. 9th, 1898, at 
Dallas. During its service the company was located 
at various training camps, viz: Austin, Texas; Mobile, 
Alabama; Miami, Florida; Jacksonville, Florida, and 
Dallas, Texas. 

The commissioned officers of the company were as 
follows: Capt. E. C. Lee; 1st Lieut., Chas. A. Davis; 
2 nd Lieut., Lonis P. Johnson. Non-commissioned of¬ 
ficers were as follows: 1st Sergt., James Wade Kerr; 
Q. M. Sergt., Charles Clark; 2nd Sergt., H. C. Ballew; 
3rd Sergt., Eugene P. Angus; 4th Sergt., Edwin H. 
Church; 5th Sergt., Arthur Sutherland. Corporals were : 
Wilmott S. Curtis, Roger Frost, Joseph M. Strupper, 
Joseph Hawkins, James P. Wickersheimer, Robert L. 
Byrd, Walton C. Winkler, Karl K. White, John W. Cran¬ 
ford, Collins C. Brown, Dave E. Story, Robert E. Lee. 

All these men, except Karl White, from Tyler, were 
from Corsicana. 

This company attended all of the encampments, and 
several riot calls, and attended to all requirements and 
at the outbreak of the World War, lost its identity, 
most of the personnel enlisting under Capt. Davis in 
a temporary troop, which afterwards became Battery 
D, 132nd Field Artillery of the 36th Division, and went 
overseas. 


139 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


This organization returned to the United States in 
March, 1919, under the command of First Lieut. Les¬ 
lie, and was mustered out of the service at Camp Bowie, 
Texas, April 10th, 1919. It was later reorganized by 
Capt. Chas. A. Davis, in March, 1922, as a unit of the 
36th Division, Texas National Guard. Capt. Davis 
was promoted to rank of major in 1922, and Lieut. 
John L. Walton promoted to rank of captain and placed 
in command of Battery D. 

In January, 1924, Capt. John J. Garner was assigned 
to the command of the battery, which post he holds at 
present. The headquarters Battery of 132nd Field 
Artillery is under the command of Capt. Festus A. 
Pierce. 

With the beginning of the World War, comparative¬ 
ly few of Navarro County’s citizens realized the enor¬ 
mity of it, but in the course of months the awful spir¬ 
it of war set fire to all Nations, and America joined in, 
sending soldiers money and food. Red Cross Societies 
flourished. All who could do so bought Liberty Bonds, 
observed wheatless days, and whole heartedly entered 
into the work of winning the War. 

Navarro County sent something like two thousand 
young men into service. Some of these young men lost 
their lives and in the City Park is a monument erected 
to their memory. Their names are as follows: Charles 
B. Johnson, Isaiah D. Adams, Perry A. Allison, Leroy 
Andrews, Frank C. Benson, Wm. A. Bolt, Van G. Clark, 
Buster Cranford, (Col.), Samuel Crouch, Luther E. 


140 


DEVELOPMENT 


Dickey, Walter E. Ellis, Clyde Petty, Elbert P. C. Ful¬ 
ton, Robert B. Gilbreath, Stephen A. Graves, Willie 
Greer, Samuel Jackson, Jesse B. Jones, Lewis Wiggins, 
James Johnson, Wm. V. Keel, Arthur C. Loper, 
Lewis A. Lynch, Arnold McElroy, Benjamin McGehee, 
Louis C. Morris, Walter Phillips, Joe Pool, Charles 
Sowell, David H. Steely, David E. Stockman, Lonnie 
Suggs, George L. Vinson, Robert E. Wasson, Watt E. 
Waters, Oscar Wilson. 

RAILROADS 

The progress of railroads in Texas in the early days 
was necessarily slow due to the obstacles to be over¬ 
come. The Galveston and Red River railroad was be¬ 
gun in Houston in 1853 and the plan of the promoters 
was to cross the State from South to North. The name 
of this railroad was changed in 1856 to the Houston and 
Texas Central. It reached Cypress, which was the 
terminus for some time, and was then built as far 
North as Courtney, where the progress again hesitated. 
Hempstead was the terminus for some time, then Nav- 
asota. Millican was reached in 1860. Groesbeck was 
the furthest point North on the railroad until it reach¬ 
ed Corsicana in 1871. 

Railroad building ceased along with other business 
enterprises during the Civil War and in 1870 there were 
only five hundred miles of railway in operation in the 
State of Texas. 

The railroad was not secured for Corsicana without 
141 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


effort and a Committee of outstanding citizens: 
James Kerr, R. N. White, J. R. Loughridge, under 
the chairmanship of Major Alexander Beaton, work¬ 
ed diligently until the necessary contributions and 
right-of-way were secured. Capt. Haines was lo¬ 
cating engineer for the H. & T. C. railroad and Capt. 
Angus was terminal agent. 

On the first passenger train to come into Corsicana 
were Alex and Philip Sanger. They were in business 
in Corsicana for a time. The Sanger name is promi¬ 
nently identified with the mercantile business of Texas 
and has been since the earliest days. 

A grand reception and ball was given celebrating the 
coming of the railroad on the 13th day of November, 
1871. The officers of the new railroad were welcomed 
to the city by Col. C. M. Winkler, who also made an 
address on this occasion. The division office of the 
H. & T. C. railroad was located in Corsicana for some 
time but was moved to Ennis in 1890. 

With the coming of the railroad and arrival of new 
citizens, the spirit of progress awoke. 

Immediately following this Corsicana was incorpora¬ 
ted in 1871 and Governor Davis appointed Ira B. Tay¬ 
lor as its first mayor. Mr. Taylors’ daughter, Mrs. 
Tom Kerr, is still a resident of the town in which her 
father was the first official. Dave Page was appoint¬ 
ed marshal, and at an election in 1872 Thomas J. Hay¬ 
nes was elected mayor of the city. 


142 


DEVELOPMENT 


NEWSPAPERS 

Hand in hand with the schools in a community which 
serve to enlighten the youth come the newspapers 
which serve in the capacity of enlightening the adult. 
The first newspaper in Navarro County was a weekly 
and was called the “Prairie Blade.” This publication 
was under the guidance of Dan Donaldson. The Prairie 
Blade was sympathetic to the Whig political party and 
thrived during the years 1855, 1856 and 1857. As 
mentioned previously, this newspaper office was up¬ 
stairs over Michael’s store on the Northwest corner of 
the court house square. The first owner of the paper 
later sold out to Judge Martin 0. Shook who ran it for 
a while but later disposed of his interest to R. A. Van 
Horn who had married a Navarro County girl and set¬ 
tled in Corsicana.* 

“Buck” Barry was one of several who purchased the 
Prairie Blade from Editor Shook for $1,200. 

R. A. Van Horn went in partnership with W. H. Neb- 
lett and the name of the “Prairie Blade” was changed 
to the Navarro County “Express.” The coming of the 
Civil War made it impossible to secure a dependable 
supply of paper and the Express was issued only as 
paper on which to print it could be procured. After 
the hectic years which were called the “break up of ‘65” 

*R. A. Van Horn married Ellen Jemigan and their home stood— 
and still stands—midway between the present Mulkey home and 
the home of J. M. Kerr. The home of the bride’s parents was 
just across the street and the cedar trees in this yard were plant¬ 
ed by Mrs. Van Horn’s mother. Mrs. Piper, who now lives in 
Corsicana, is the daughter of R. A. Van Horn. 

143 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


the Express was changed to the “Observer” but the 
publication was continued under the jurisdiction of R. 
A. Van Horn until his death after which his son, 
Frank, and C. E. Van Horn, his brother, operated the 
paper until it was sold to Miller and Tarver. Another 
paper called the Index was consolidated with this pa¬ 
per. G. P. Miller became sole owner of the Observer 
in 1881 and in 1882 it belonged to W. L. Sargent and 
was both a daily and weekly publication. 

About 1870 there was another paper called the 
“Courier” published in Navarro County by C. Dalton 
and 0. A. Eylar. 

The “Texas Observer”, which was a religious paper, 
was published in Corsicana by the Rev. J. F. 
Wofford and records indicate it was started about the 
year 1880. A four-sheet journal called the “Corsicana 
Methodist” was published under the guidance of M. H. 
Wells at about the same time. 

Major John L. Miller with the assistance of Mrs. A. 
V. Winkler began publishing “The Odd Fellowship and 
Literature” in 1876. Among contributors to this mag¬ 
azine was Mrs. Haden who lived in a community called 
Bellaire which was near Dresden. Her literary efforts 
were much appreciated and she achieved considerable 
popularity. Mrs. A. V. Winkler, who assisted in the 
publication of the above mentioned journal, began in 
July of 1882 the publication of a literary magazine 
“The Texas Prairie Flower” and carried as a running 
head the statement that it was devoted to “the Pure, 
the True and the Beautiful.” This magazine flourish- 


144 


DEVELOPMENT 


ed for three years until a financial crisis in the state 
compelled its suspension. Mrs. Winkler was a cul¬ 
tured lady from Virginia who had previously written 
articles during the Civil War for the “Southern 
Illustrated News” which was a paper publish¬ 
ed by the Confederates and the only literary 
magazine available due to the blockade of the Confed¬ 
erate States. Mrs. Winkler's husband was Lieut. 
Col. Winkler, whom she married during the war. 
It was a great blow to Mrs. Winkler to be forced to 
suspend publication of her magazine since she was de¬ 
voted to the furtherance of literature. Among the 
other accomplishments of this versatile lady was her 
associate editorship of the “Round Table'' which was 
a literary magazine published in Dallas, and the pre¬ 
paration of the work entitled “The Confederate Capi¬ 
tal and Hoods' Texas Brigade.” 

The “Democrat” was a weekly publication which 
was established in 1885 by C. Dalton. W. F. Colquitt 
bought this paper in 1887 and Pierce Colquitt purchas¬ 
ed half interest and became editor in 1890. 

The People's party which thrived about the year 
1890 determined to have an organ of its own in Na¬ 
varro County and on November 12, 1891 the first issue 
was put out under the editorship of J. L. Harle. This 
publication was called “Truth” and had about 3,000 
subscribers at the time. 

The “Christian Advance” was another religious pa¬ 
per which operated for a while and among the old files 
in Navarro County may be found records of the 


145 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


“Navarro Banner” which in 1873 was edited by E. J. 
Simkins and George Morris. 

The “Corsicana Daily and Weekly Light” appeared 
first on September 7, 1888. Editor and publisher were 
J. F. Lewis and Fred C. Whippey. The following year 
they bought out a paper which was called the “Expon¬ 
ent” and in 1891 Mr. Whippey was succeeded by 
A. N. Justiss who continued as guiding spirit of the 
Corsicana Daily and Weekly Light until 1914 when 
he became postmaster. At the inception of the Corsica¬ 
na Daily and Weekly Light its chief competitor was 
the Courier which was published by 0. Pagit and L. 
C. Shropshire during the years of 1889 and 1890. The 
Daily Light absorbed the Courier in 1895 by purchas¬ 
ing the subscription and good will of the latter paper 
and the name of the Light was changed to the “Daily 
Courier Light.” The “Semi-Weekly Light” continued 
to operate as a separate entity and was owned by Ben 
McKie. The “Daily Sun” was first published on 
March 2, 1897, W. A. McKanna and associates having 
leased the plant of the Weekly Light in which to 
bring out their new daily. The first editor of the 
Sun, which was started as a morning paper, was 
Major Henry Burton and the first issue was a six- 
column, four-page paper the same size as the 
Weekly Light. Some years later a company was in¬ 
corporated as the “Sun-Light Publishing Company” 
and this company was owned by several Corsicana and 
Dallas men, Judge James L. Autry being the principal 
stockholder and president of the corporation. This 
company was incorporated for $20,000 and continued 


146 


DEVELOPMENT 


to publish the Sun as a daily paper and the Light as a 
semi-weekly publication. Lowry Martin joined the 
Sun-Light Corporation as cashier on July 15, 1902, at 
which time A. W. Hartman was manager. In the fall 
of the same year Albert A. Wortham began work on 
the paper as a reporter, the paper in the meanwhile 
having changed from a morning to an afternoon pub¬ 
lication. Upon retirement of Mr. Hartman, Mr. Worth¬ 
am became business manager of the corporation and 
within a few years Messrs. Wortham and Martin form¬ 
ed a partnership and secured a three-year option on the 
stock of the Sun-Light Publishing Company. Within 
the option period they purchased all the outstanding 
stock and then a new co-partnership was formed with 
each owning half interest in the corporation. The 
management has proved very efficient and the paper is 
now outstanding in its class in the Southwest, being 
a daily paper of from sixteen to twenty-four pages 
with complete Associated Press leased wire serv¬ 
ice. This paper is published in its own handsome two 
story brick building adjoining the post office and con¬ 
tinues to thrive under the management of Mr. Martin 
and Lynn A. Wortham succeeding his father who died 
December 6, 1924. 

There has been much literary talent developed in Na¬ 
varro County and some of the earlier writers were 
Major A. Beaton, B. F. Giltner, Dan Donaldson, L. T. 
Wheeler, Col. William Croft, Roger Q. Mills and his 
son, Major C. H. Mills, Ralph Beaton, Abe Mulkey, E. J. 
Simkins and Major J. L. Miller. Major Miller conduct¬ 
ed a column under the bi-line of “Old Flax” and was one 


147 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


of the first to organize the present personal “chatty” 
type of column which encouraged correspondence and 
subscriptions from all parts of the country. The cor¬ 
respondents who exchanged ideas in Major Miller's col¬ 
umn banded themselves into an organization and held 
annual picnics at which they met for a general good 
time. At the death of Major Miller, Mr. French who 
lived near Emmett and was known as “Uncle John,” 
was given the honorary post of president of this group 
and upon his death Mrs. S. M. Roughton whose cogno¬ 
men was “Snow Flake”, took over the banner of leader¬ 
ship but since her death there is no regular organiza¬ 
tion although correspondents from each town in the 
county continue to send in their contributions. 

The early newspaper was not only a daily or weekly 
record of events but also carried with it many other 
correlated activities. Among these the Stray Horse 
Association which was a very important institution 
during the Fifties and Sixties. Membership in this 
association was a combination affair and $3.50 per 
year was paid for subscription to the newspaper and a 
membership in the association. Every issue of the 
paper carried notices of the stray horses or cattle 
and thereby enabled the citizens of each com¬ 
munity to assist the other in finding lost cattle and 
horses and returning them to rightful owners. Since 
the range was open it can be well imagined that many 
cattle were constantly straying from their owners. The 
subscription to the newspaper and membership in the 
association entitled the member to insert two notices 
of any of his own stray cattle without additional 


148 


DEVELOPMENT 


charge. An early issue of the Navarro Express shows 
that it was published every Thursday and the subscrip¬ 
tion price was $2 per year in advance. The date of 
this issue is 1860 and among the advertisers were 
Carter’s Drug Store, which sold all sorts of drugs, per¬ 
fumes, etc., and cards of the various physicians, among 
whom were Drs. Love, McKie, E. G. Kerr, N. J. Mills 
and J. B. Powers. J. T. Oakes carried an advertisement 
bespeaking his qualifications as gunsmith and J. Wag¬ 
ner advertised his cabinet shop where all forms of fur¬ 
niture were made, as well as door sashes and blinds. J. 
H. Carter had an advertisement of his boot and shoe 
shop and T. W. Garner was watchmaker and jeweler 
to the inhabitants of the city, operating his workshop 
at his residence. H. W. Tate & Company sold gro¬ 
ceries and liquors and James Talley operated a grocery 
and hardware store, both as a wholesale and retail in¬ 
stitution. 

C. L. Jernigan’s Saddlery carried a regular ad with a 
large picture of a saddle to call the reader’s attention 
to his work, and both D. Wood and E. W. Burrow op¬ 
erated grocery stores and saloons. J. F. Erwin adver¬ 
tised a market which was in the rear of Dr. Carter’s 
Drug Store and his slogan was “First Come, First 
Served.” 

A. Michael & Brother sold general merchandise and 
H. C. Moss announced that he carried dry goods, boots 
and shoes. In each of these advertisements the words 
“for cash” were always prominently displayed and the 
modern intricate credit system does not seem to have 
been developed at that time. 


149 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The Dr. Love referred to above married Miss Mary 
Streety and moved to Corsicana a short time 
prior to the Civil War, practicing medicine in Navarro 
County until his death in the Seventies. Dr. Love's 
home stood on the corner of what is now First Avenue 
and Thirteenth Street and his descendants, among 
whom are Mrs. Frank Wood, who is Dr. Love’s daugh¬ 
ter, and Elmer Keith, his grandson and present fire 
chief, are highly respected citizens of the community. 
Records indicate that Dr. Love’s home, on what was 
originally known as Washington Street, was one of the 
first two-story houses in Corsicana. 

Three or four columns were given over to advertis¬ 
ing patent medicines which were held forth to the ear¬ 
ly Navarro County pioneers as specifics for almost 
every ailment. Some of the early remedies that were 
highly recommended to sufferers were Dr. Parks’ Bal¬ 
sam of Wild Cherry and Pine Tar for all pulmonary 
complaints, Dr. Guysott’s Extract of Sarsaparilla and 
Yellow Dock, an unfailing cure for diseases of the blood 
and bilious complaints, and Dr. Hoffland’s celebrated 
German Bitters, as well as Sanford’s Liver Invigorator 
and Family Cathartic Pills. 

Among the lawyer’s cards were those of Messrs. J. 
L. Halbert, Mills and Beaton, William H. Mitchell, 
Winkler and Sweatmon, J. C. C. Winch, Croft and 
Wheeler, W. H. Neblett, J. T. Spence, H. D. Garden, 
and J. R. Loughridge. 

Other interesting advertisements were: 

“Williamson’s Hotel 
J. R. Williamson—Prop. 

150 


DEVELOPMENT 


“McPhail’s Hotel” 

“Coffee House, Saloon, also Grocery and 
Bowling Alley on North Side of Square.” 


“Melainotypes!” 

“Of pictures taken on Sheet Iron. Mr. 
Bean, one of the oldest operators in sunlight 
drawing in the United States, offers his ser¬ 
vices in the above to the citizens of the place 
and vicinity for a short time only. The new 
style of likenesses, made on iron, by the col¬ 
lodion process, is acknowledged by the best 
critics to be the most durable and perfect pic¬ 
ture ever made. Pictures put in bracelets, 
breast pins and rings. All kinds of picture 
copies. The public is respectfully invited to 
call and examine specimens. A good assort¬ 
ment of plain and fancy cases for sale at pric¬ 
es to suit the times.” 

“E. Drane, Dentist, twelve miles Southeast 
of Corsicana, Texas, returns his thanks to the 
citizens of this and adjacent Counties for past 
patronage and will be pleased to work for 
those who may need his services. All orders 
in town can be left with Dr. Carter at the 
Drug Store.” 


151 



HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


“Carriage Manufactory 
Corsicana, Texas 

“Sam H. Kerr is now prepared to build and 
finish with dispatch buggies and wagons to 
order. All kinds of repairing done at the 
shortest notice. Public patronage solicited. 
Shop on the Southeast corner of the Public 
Square.” 


WATER 

From organization, the question of an adequate wa¬ 
ter supply for Corsicana was a problem. For many 
years, that is before 1879, surface wells, cisterns and 
artificial lakes, or tanks, supplied the necessary water 
for living purposes, but there was no satisfactory sup¬ 
ply for city purposes. 

After the business houses became established on 
Beaton Street, the bankers and other business men, 
felt the need of some fire protection, and had built at 
intersections on Beaton Street large underground cis¬ 
terns. 

On Sept. 9th, 1879, a call was made for an assembly 
at the Opera House, on the 13th of Sept. This call was 
signed by N. J. Mills, C. M. Winkler, A. F. Robbins, A. 
M. Wilson, S. F. Starley, James Garitty, Drane and 
Johnson, J. M. Rainwater, Miller and Tarver, R. P. 
Goodman & Co., A. Ferguson, J. W. Rogers, Kamsler 
Bros. & Co., Cerf and Rapheal, J. P. Vance & Co., Steph¬ 
en Smith, J. Y. Bates, J. J. Strupper, C. W. Jester, J. 


152 


DEVELOPMENT 


B. Stephens, F. W. Carruthers, J. B. Stiteler, S. A. Pace, 
J. Huey, Nat Pinkston, G. T. Jester, B. F. Davis, C. L. 
Fewell, C. C. Marshall, A. Fox & Bros., U. M. Lee & 
Co., C. H. Allyn & Co., Mallory and Allen. 

A lake of 120 acres was impounded, about two miles 
East of town, and a standpipe 125 feet high erected. 
This afforded a water system for the business houses 
but not for city sewerage. The cost was $80,000. It 
was completed in 1883. 

At this time the Corsicana Fire Department was or¬ 
ganized. 

With J. J. Strupper, as chief, about twenty-five men 
met on Dec. 29, and perfected the organization. Abe 
Mulkey was assistant chief. 

It was a volunteer company. A charter was procur¬ 
ed under the name of the Corsicana Hose Co. No. 1, 
which the city council agreed to equip but it was op¬ 
posed to spending much for a fire department. 

In 1892, with F. N. Drane as chief, the department 
had one hook and ladder truck complete, two two-horse 
hose carriages, six fine horses, 2300 feet of hose, a 
good fire station, with a 1600 lb. alarm bell, three paid 
drivers, assistant chief, and sixty men, all volunteers. 

Insurance was reduced and the fire company recog¬ 
nized by the council and citizens as a most important 
organization. 

In 1894, in order to have a more extended water serv¬ 
ice, and sewerage, a deep well was bored, and at some- 


153 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


thing like 2200 feet, a hot mineral water was found. It 
was suitable for fire protection, bathing and sewerage, 
but not for drinking and laundry, or for watering 
yards or irrigating gardens. 

This water supplied Corsicana, supplemented by 
wells and cisterns, until 1923, when Lake Halbert, 
about three miles Southeast of Corsicana was finished. 
It was so-called because J. L. Halbert, who was then 
mayor, worked untiringly toward the accomplishment 
of the new water supply. 

Lake Halbert covers about 525 acres, and contains 
normally 23,000,000,000 gallons of water. 

When the well, drilled in 1894, brought the abundant 
supply of mineral water, it also brought “showings” 
of gas and oil, and this was the beginning of the oil 
fields of Navarro County and the first field west of the 
Mississippi. 

H. G. Johnston, Ralph Beaton and others, organized 
a company, and shallow wells, that is, from 500 to 1500 
feet in depth, were the result. These wells were scat¬ 
tered in and around Corsicana, and many of them, after 
more than thirty-five years, are still producing. 

H. G. Johnston, with associates, established the 
American Well and Prospecting Company, which for 
many years, was the largest oil well supply factory in 
the world, and this company originated the first oil well 
rotary drilling rig. 

Two of the largest oil companies operating, origi- 
154 



Top: First Magnolia refinery at Corsicana. 

Center: Group of early Magnolia employees and officials . 
Lower: First oil burning locomotive. 


























DEVELOPMENT 


nated in Corsicana, The Magnolia Petroleum Company 
and The Texas Company, their organizers being Corsi¬ 
cana men. 

The Magnolia Petroleum Company, was organ¬ 
ized in 1897, and J. S. Cullinan, who lived here for sev¬ 
eral years, originated the idea which developed the 
Texas Fuel Company, the parent company of The Texas 
Company. 

The beginning of the Magnolia Petroleum may be 
dated from the arrival of J. S. Cullinan in Corsicana, to 
supervise the erection of Texas’ first petroleum re¬ 
finery, which was the first in the South. 

Mr. Cullinan was joined by Mr. Folger and Mr. Payne 
and the refinery began operations in Corsicana on 
Feb. 24th, 1899. The name of the original company, 
was the J. S. Cullinan Company, and the refinery first 
began running 500 barrels of oil per day, and when it 
was increased to 600 barrels per day, the people of Cor¬ 
sicana held a celebration, in honor of the event, little 
guessing that in the short period of thirty years, this 
same organization under the name of Magnolia Petro¬ 
leum Company, would be operating six refineries, with 
a capacity of 100,000 barrels per day, and having a net¬ 
work of gathering lines, of more than 5000 miles, and 
distributing refined products over six Southwestern 
states. 

There are thirty of the original employees who en¬ 
tered the organization at Corsicana, still with the Mag¬ 
nolia Petroleum Company. 

W. C. Proctor, recently retired after long and faith- 
155 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ful service, and E. R. Brown, prominent official of the 
company, lived in Corsicana for many years, also E. E. 
Plumly who entered the organization in 1901. 

W. H. Hastings, superintendent of the refinery in 
Corsicana for many years, died 1930; Mr. Hastings 
married a Corsicana girl, Margaret Pannill, whose 
father, Dr. William Pannill, and grandfather, Dr. Nel¬ 
son Witherspoon, were Corsicana citizens. 

The original name of Cullinan Company, was chang¬ 
ed in 1901, to that of the Corsicana Refining Company, 
and in 1907 the corporate name was again changed to 
the Navarro Refining Company. 

The panic of 1907, brought tribulation to the com¬ 
pany, and John Sealy of Galveston, purchased the Cor¬ 
sicana properties from a receivership on Dec. 7th, 1909, 
changing the name to John Sealy & Company. 

The present name of Magnolia Petroleum Company 
was given to the organization on April 24th, 1911, and 
since that time the company has grown rapidly, until 
now the annual payroll is in excess of $2,000,000, and 
the employees number eleven thousand. 

Besides these, other Corsicana citizens whose con¬ 
nection with the oil industry, has made them prominent 
are E. H. Buckner, president of Houston Oil Company, 
and Alma McAfee, originator of No-Nox gasoline. 

Geologists have declared that Navarro County has 
yet heavy resources in oil, which have not been touch¬ 
ed. 


156 




Left: E. R. Brown and right, JV. C. Proctor—two of the organizers 
of the Magnolia Petroleum Company. 


Old tank car belonging to Corsicana Petroleum Company. The Mag¬ 
nolia Petroleum Company with thousands of tank cars, is a successor tc 
this early organization . 




























































* * 


































































































































































DEVELOPMENT 


Many of the citizens who have been enriched by oil, 
have continued to make Corsicana their home, there¬ 
by showing their loyalty and appreciation to their old 
home county. 

The territory in and adjacent to Corsicana, has been 
producing oil from shallow wells since 1895, but it was 
in 1923 that deep oil was discovered. Corsicana became 
one of the most important oil centers in Texas. The 
daily peak production reached 400,000 barrels. Corsi¬ 
cana was a pipe line center, a refinery center, and oil 
well supply center, and was known throughout the oil 
fraternity of the nation. Ten inter and intra crude oil 
pipe lines convey the oil from the fields of West Texas 
and Oklahoma through Corsicana to the great refine¬ 
ries on the coast. 

The deep oil was from the Woodbine sand, at an aver¬ 
age depth of 2900 feet. At one time there were 1200 
wells producing. 

Corsicana has the distinction of being the first city 
in Texas to use natural gas for fuel and lighting. Crude 
oil was first used here as fuel for locomotives. 

Navarro County was the first to use crude oil as a 
help in building roads. Ralph Beaton was the first man 
in Texas to sell fuel oil, for which he received 58 cents 
per barrel. 

NAVARRO COUNTY BAR ASSOCIATION 

The Navarro County Bar Association was organized 
in 1871. Col. C. M. Winkler was chairman. Some 


157 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


other charter members of the Association were Colonel 

R. Q. Mills, L. T. Wheeler and J. F. Stout. 

Some of the early members of this association were: 

S. R. Frost, R. S. Neblett, Colonel E. J. Simkins, Rufus 
Hardy and J. M. Blanding. In the nineties the member¬ 
ship included C. W. Croft, John S. Callicutt, Lee Callo¬ 
way, J. D. Lee, W. W. and H. C. Ballew, W. J. McKie, J. 
L. Autry, Jink Evans, Fred Freeman, Richard Mays, 

R. B. Molloy, M. B. Montgomery, A. B. Lee, R. E. 
Prince, J. J. McClellan, W. L. Stone, S. M. Kerr, W. R. 
Bright, J. H. Woods, 0. E. Call, L. T. Carpenter, Messrs. 
Jack and Jack, E. J. Gibson, R. E. Prince, H. B. Daviss, 
J. T. Stout and Richard Mays. 

Navarro County, generally speaking, has been a law 
abiding community and the practice of attorneys has 
been mostly of a civil nature. The first hanging in Na¬ 
varro County was that of Riley White, a colored man. 
There was one lynching held on the court house grounds 
in the Nineties. With the exception of the usual 
frontier '‘bad man” and the cattle rustlers, the crimi¬ 
nal element has been conspicuous by its absence. 

PRESENT MEMBERS OF NAVARRO BAR ASSOCIATION 
(1931) 

Beauford H. Jester, President. 

Judge Rufus Hardy, Hawkins Scarborough, Warren Hicks, 
J. M. Blanding, J. S. Callicut, J. R. Currington, B. L. Da¬ 
vis, H. B. Daviss, B. W. George, W. W. Harris, Wayne Howell, 
C. L. Jester, Beauford Jester, W. H. Jack, S. M. Kerr, Norris 
Lovett, T. W. Lovett, H. S. Melear, Cleo Miller, R. B. Molloy, 
C. E. McWilliams, H. C. Nash, R. R. Owen, Louis Rothkopf, J. 

S. Simpkins, J. F. Stout, W. A. Tarver, W. M. Taylor, C. W. 

158 



Top: Gasoline being transported across plains of Texas . 
Center: Modern method of transporting petroleum products. 
Lower: One of the first tank wagons. 



























































































































DEVELOPMENT 


Taylor, H. E. Traylor, Lawrence Treadwell, Fred Upchurch, C. 
E. Upchurch, H. E. Wassell, A. H. Willie, J. H. Woods, Ramsey 
Cox, W. P. Goar, R. M. Tilley, L. A. Johnson, H. C. Ballew, Chas. 
Banister, Richard Mays, A. P. Mays. 

CHURCHES 

The numerous churches of Navarro County have 
played an important part in the life of the people. Fif¬ 
teenth Street in Corsicana is yet called Church Street 
at times because of the fact that there are seven 
churches located on it. 

In former times religious debates and discussions of¬ 
ten became very acrimonious but a more tolerant atti¬ 
tude is now the rule. The Sunday morning church 
bell no longer peals forth to summon the worshiper, 
but the church performs the same important part in 
the life of Navarro County. 

From time to time in the story of Navarro County 
references have been made to matters appertaining to 
the religious life of the community but in order that a 
more correlated story of the various churches be given, 
a definite delineation will be made of the early church¬ 
es of Navarro County. 

There was no place of worship in Corsicana until the 
building of the little log court house. As soon as it 
was finished it served as school, church and seat of 
government. 

On May 16, 1853, about twenty members of the 
Cumberland Presbyterian church met under the guid¬ 
ance of Rev. John Patton and organized the first 


159 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


definite religious movement in the then village of Cor¬ 
sicana. The charter members of this first organized 
church were: R. N. White, James Kerr, Sr., Nancy 
Kerr, James R. Campbell, Lucy A. Campbell, Thomas 
Jackson, Nancy Byers, Jeremiah Cunningham, Polly 
Cunningham, Caroline Goode, Emeline Lindsey, E. R. 
Story, Margaret Story, E. C. Story, Martha I. Story, 
Savana (servant girl), S. H. Kerr, C. D. Kerr and 
Margaret Riggs. 

Rev. N. P. Modrall was the first regular pastor 
and was paid a salary of $150 a year for preaching one 
Sunday each month. He also conducted a female acad¬ 
emy in connection with his pastoral work. 

The edifice erected by the Cumberland Presbyterians 
faced north on Main Street (now Second Avenue) about 
one and one-half blocks West of Church Street. It was 
built of logs. This building was used by all the denom¬ 
inations for some time. Many preachers traveling 
through the country conducted services in this church. 
Rev. Ferguson, the father of ex-Governor James 
Ferguson, preached here. Other early pastors were 
David Rose, Rev. Fly, Elder Byars and Revs. Hardin 
and Caldwell. 

The Cumberland Presbyterians erected a brick 
church about 1874 on the corner of Fourth Avenue 
and Thirteenth Street. It was one long room with 
two doors in the East and a pulpit in the West. It was 
divided by an aisle, the men occupying one side and 
the women the other. An old-time reed organ furnished 


160 


DEVELOPMENT 


the music and one of the first organists in this church 
was Miss Lula Johnson. 

One of the outstanding ministers of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian church in the early days was Rev. 
Allison Templeton, who moved from Tennessee to Cor¬ 
sicana in 1879 to bring harmony to the church after a 
disruption caused by the question of sanctification, 
which at that time was causing trouble to many con¬ 
gregations. He made a vivid impression on the peo¬ 
ple of Corsicana but unfortunately he lived only three 
years after reaching Texas, dying June 28, 1882. His 
wife remained in Corsicana for many years, dying at 
the home of her daughter, Mrs. Lewis T. Carpenter, in 
Dallas, on March 9, 1928. 

The Cumberland Presbyterians, under the leadership 
of Rev. Jerry Ward, built a handsome brick building 
about 1891 which still serves the congregation. After 
the union with the Northern Presbyterians the word 
“Cumberland” was dropped from the name of the 
church and it is now called the Third Avenue Presby¬ 
terian Church. Some of those who preferred the desig¬ 
nation of '‘Cumberland Presbyterian” built their house 
of worship on Twelfth Street and their first pastor 
was Rev. J. H. Swingle. Rev. J. W. Hornbeak has 
served this church for many years and consecrated his 
life to preaching in Navarro County. Mrs. Hornbeak 
was the daughter of Col. Root of Wadeville. 

The First Presbyterian Church was organized May 
30, 1868, by Dr. S. A. King of Waco who was a Pres- 


161 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


byterian evangelist. The charter members of this 
church were: Mrs. Alex Duren, Perry McCammon, 
Mark H. Bird, J. D. Cook and Capt. M. M. Morrison. 
Rev. Mosely was the first pastor. 

For a while the First Presbyterians worshiped in the 
Cumberland Presbyterian church, then for some time 
in the school house and court house. After using 
“Cedar Hair’ as a place of worship for some time they 
built a plain, frame church. A brick building was 
erected in 1878, at a cost of about $6,000, during the 
time J. A. McMurray was pastor. This was considered 
one of the best churches in town for several years after 
its erection but due to improper foundation the walls 
cracked and it was necessary to tear the building down. 
The present building used by the First Presbyterian 
church was erected in 1908 during the pastorate of 
Rev. George L. Bitzer. The present manse was built 
in 1895 when Rev. Bigger was pastor. 

The Baptist faith was first represented in Corsicana 
by Elder N. F. Byars, who settled in Navarro County 
in 1846, and he and Elder T. N. Morrell began to for¬ 
mulate plans for organizing the Baptist faith. The 
Trinity River Baptist Association was organized in 
1848 and Navarro County was part of this Association. 
R. E. B. Baylor was District Judge and he arranged 
his court matters in such a manner that he could 
preach the gospel at stated intervals. Judge Baylor’s 
name is assured a place in the annals of history through 
the great university at Waco bearing his name. Some 
of the other Baptist ministers who preached in the ear- 


162 


DEVELOPMENT 


ly days of the Baptist church in Corsicana were: El¬ 
ders Abner Simmons, G. H. Compere, E. R. Freeman 
and S. G. Mullins. 

The first duly organized Baptist church in Corsicana 
was under the direction of Rev. E. R. Freeman, 
who came to Corsicana with his family in 1869, mov¬ 
ing from Crystal Springs, Mississippi. Rev. S. 
G. Mullins was in the same wagon train but he lived 
at Chapel Hill about two years before coming to Corsi¬ 
cana. Records indicate that two of the charter mem¬ 
bers of the First Baptist Church were Mrs. W. J. Mc- 
Kie and Mrs. E. 0. Vaughn. The Baptist church in 
Corsicana has been from time to time under the direc¬ 
tion of the following pastors: Revs. E. R. Free¬ 
man, S. G. Mullins, C. C. Lee, C. A. Coulson, Shelton 
Wayne, Giles, Taylor, A. B. Ingram, Jeff D. Ray, 0. L. 
Haily, B. W. Vining, E. P. Kennedy and Howard Wil¬ 
liams. 

The original Baptist church stood where the Cum¬ 
berland Presbyterian church now stands and during 
the formative days Mrs. F. B. Stiteler devoted her 
efforts toward furthering the interest of the Bap¬ 
tist denomination. Her husband was a teacher in old 
Baylor College which was then located at Independence. 
The Baptist denomination erected a church on the cor¬ 
ner of Collin and Fourteenth Street which served until 
June, 1925, at which time the new $150,000 church 
was finally opened for worship. The new church is one 
block West of the original location. 

The first Methodist church was erected in Corsica- 
163 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


na in 1871 by W. R. Carroll and the contract called for 
a building forty feet wide and seventy-four feet long 
and twenty-four feet from floor to ceiling. This con¬ 
tract also stated that it was to have a steeple and upon 
completion Mr. Carroll was to receive $4,000 in gold. 
This house of worship fronted on Fifteenth Street and 
the interior was arranged as were those of other early 
day churches. Horace Bishop was the first pastor and 
in 1872 while living in Navarro County he married 
Miss Powell of Hearne. Rev. Bishop makes his 
home with his daughter since the death of his wife 
some few years ago. He has been a Methodist pastor 
for sixty years. 

The first state democratic convention to be held after 
the Civil War convened in the Methodist church build¬ 
ing at Corsicana in 1872. This was a lively convention 
in more ways than one; many issues were bitterly 
fought on the floor and hogs sleeping under the 
church added to the confusion by the noises which they 
made. It was at this convention that Roger Q. Mills 
was nominated for Congress and it was also, incidental¬ 
ly, the first state political meeting held in Texas after 
the Civil War without military guard. 

Another Methodist church was built in 1896 of 
brick. Additions have been made to the Methodist 
church from time to time and the pastor’s home ad¬ 
joining the church is of commodious proportions. A 
new, modern educational building has recently been 
erected. 

The Methodist faith has been served by many men 
164 


DEVELOPMENT 


of outstanding merit, among the number Revs. 
Everet Armstrong, Vaughn, Solomon, Whitehurst, 
Barcus, Booth, Wright, Monk, Hall, Culver, and the 
present pastor, John Bergin. 

The Episcopal faith in Corsicana was not represent¬ 
ed prior to the year 1870 but when the H. & T. C. rail¬ 
road came in 1871 several families of this faith mov¬ 
ed into the growing village. Bishop Gregg of the Epis¬ 
copal denomination first sent Rev. Waddill into Cor¬ 
sicana and he held services in the court house and 
other places. Rev. Virginus Gee of the Episcopal 
faith also held services in Corsicana and in the winter 
of 1872 Bishop Gregg confirmed a class of eight. 
Rev. Gee was followed by Rev. Edwin Wickens 
in 1873 and in the summer of 1874 under his guidance 
the Episcopal congregation erected their church on the 
comer of Fourteenth and Collin Street. This church 
was called St. John’s Church. Mr. Wickens was suc¬ 
ceeded in 1875 by Rev. J. J. Vlaux of Tennessee who re¬ 
mained about two years, after which time services were 
held only intermittently. Rev. J. P. Lytton of 
Sherman visited this church occasionally until Febru¬ 
ary, 1878, when Rev. Peter Wager was placed in 
charge. Rev. Wager remained for about three 
years and in February, 1881, Rev. John B. Linn 
was Rector of the church, remaining in Corsicana for 
four years. 

Various improvements were made to the church 
building between the years 1895 and 1906 at which 
time Rev. J. C. Black was Rector. In the interim 


165 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


a new brick church had been built. The old frame 
church was moved to the back of the lot and converted 
into a parish hall. The present Rector, Rev. H. J. El¬ 
lis, began his rectorship April 7, 1918. A new parish 
hall has recently been completed. 

The C. H. Allyn family gave a splendid two manual 
Pilcher pipe organ to this church. 

A company of twenty people of United Presbyterian 
faith met in Corsicana at the home of J. L. Bonner on 
October 16, 1895 and there organized the Associate 
Reformed Presbyterian church. Services of this faith 
were first held in the city hall and some months later 
a tent was secured and erected on the corner of Fourth 
Avenue and Fifteenth Street and used as a place of 
worship. The first pastor of this faith was Rev. W. 
W. Orr, and during his pastorate the present church 
was erected. The United Presbyterian faith has been 
ably served by Rev. Ransome, who followed Dr. Orr, 
Rev. J. W. Good, Rev. R. E. Hough, Rev. A. H. Griffin, 
Rev. W. R. Gay and the present pastor, Rev. C. E. Mc- 
Stravick. The Associate Reformed Presbyterian 
Church was transferred to the United Presbyterian 
Church of North America in May, 1906. 

Several families of the Jewish faith moved into Cor¬ 
sicana and in 1899 they erected Temple Beth-El. This 
was a handsome frame building and the Jewish faith 
has been under the guidance of Alex Fox as first Presi¬ 
dent ; I. N. Cerf following Mr. Fox; Sam Brooks, who is 
now President, following Mr. Cerf. Ben Goldsmith 
has been secretary of the congregation for more than 


166 


DEVELOPMENT 


twenty-five years. There is also in Corsicana an Or¬ 
thodox Jewish Church. 

The Catholic faith was given sufficient money to es¬ 
tablish a church by John Noonan and his wife. This 
church was erected in 1896 and the church and convent 
were the center of the Catholic educational movement 
for some years. Father Graffeo is the priest who min¬ 
isters to the members of this church. Prominent among 
the families are Mr. and Mrs. Tom Hickey, Mr. and Mrs. 
John P. Garitty, Mrs. N. J. Garitty, Mrs. Walker, Mrs. 
Garvin, Mrs. Riley, Mrs. Wilkes, Mrs. Childress and 
the Shehees. 

The first Christian Church in Corsicana was organ¬ 
ized in 1888 by Dr. T. F. Driscoll who was the first min¬ 
ister of this faith in Corsicana. The first edifice built 
by members of this church was erected on Fifteenth 
Street between Collin and Fifth Avenue, at a cost of 
about $3,500. This church served for about 17 years 
until the present building was constructed. The Chris¬ 
tian faith now worships in a beautiful church with an 
educational building and their property in Corsicana is 
appraised at $120,000. Seventeen pastors have served 
the Christian church in Corsicana, including the pres¬ 
ent minister, Paul L. Merrill. 

There are now in Corsicana four Baptist churches, 
four Methodist Episcopal churches, one Catholic 
church, one Christian Science church, four Presbyter¬ 
ian churches, one Christian church, one Church of 
Christ, two Jewish synagogues and two Nazarene 
churches. 


167 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The Church of Christ has a prosperous congregation, 
housed in a handsome new church on Fifteenth street. 
J. L. Hines is the pastor. 

The Protestant Methodist, first organized in Corsi¬ 
cana by Rev. York, is located on Eighteenth street. The 
present pastors are Rev. Copeland and Kenneth Cope¬ 
land, his son. The latter is still a student. 

The Salvation Army is also an individual religious 
faith whose activities are wide-spread and the Full 
Gospel faith meets in a building on West Seventh Ave¬ 
nue. 

There are also several colored churches at which the 
negroes worship and their religious fervor is equal to 
that of any nationality. 

THE NAVARRO JOCKEY CLUB 

During the later Seventies and the Eighties horses 
enjoyed a period of notice and care, which since then 
has not been recorded. Beginning with the early settle¬ 
ments, the horse was a beast of burden, and necessary 
to daily life. Later breeders and stockmen, and 
many others, had occasion to enjoy the horse, and ev¬ 
ery Sunday the roads were full of buggies, single and 
double rigs, with horses of all kinds on exhibition. 
There were several livery stables in Corsicana. Per¬ 
haps the Mitten place was the largest, as Mr. Mitten 
was a real horse man. There was a race course on 
the Southeast side of town, where regularly there were 


168 


DEVELOPMENT 


races and exhibitions and some times the fair was held 
there. 

A Jockey Club was organized on April 22, 1882 un¬ 
der the guiding hand of J. W. Mitten. This Jockey 
Club not only was to teach the proper care and hand¬ 
ling of horses but also sponsored races and offered 
prizes for winners. At the inception of this Jockey 
Club a meeting was held which lasted through five 
days. One of the outstanding events of the meet was 
a ten mile running race between Miss Mollie Taylor of 
Nevada and Miss Nellie Burke who was the United 
States riding champion. A purse of $1,000 was won 
by Miss Burke. The judges were Captain Wagley, who 
conducted a newspaper column known as “Cold Cor¬ 
ner”, Capt. Garitty, John S. Gibson and R. S. Mabry. 

MEDICAL SOCIETY 

Doctors began to come into Texas with the first 
influx of settlers. A call was issued on March 11, 1857, 
in the first attempt to organize Texas physicians and 
again in 1859 a call was issued that all Texas physicians 
and surgeons should organize but no record was kept of 
the meeting although it is evident that some form of 
association was effected, because in 1869 through¬ 
out the state, another call was issued to physi¬ 
cians for “reorganization.” On April 15, 1869, twenty- 
eight physicians responded and the results of this 
meeting are retained in the form of a permanent re¬ 
cord. The first four meetings of the medical frater¬ 
nity in Texas were held in Houston and at the fourth 


169 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


meeting it was decided that the meeting place vary 
from time to time. One of the first laws which was 
fostered and passed by the early day physicians was 
a statute requiring each physician to register and state 
the school from which he graduated and file his diplo¬ 
ma. This first group of twenty-eight has grown until 
at this time there are more than 7,000 physicians and 
surgeons in Texas. 

Records indicate that the Corsicana physicians were 
meeting in the early Seventies and in the coun¬ 
ty such representative physicians as Doctors Starley, 
Witherspoon, A. C. Sloan, J. T. Gulick, Wm. Pannill, W. 
J. W. Kerr, J. T. Suttle, Robinson, Selman, Blackmon, 
Johnson, Hodge, Bryan, Kirksey, Matthews, Dean, 
Younger, Hoffstetter, A. P. Boston and T. F. Driskill. 
Dr. Driskill was a minister of the Christian church. 
He and his wife were dentists. Early residents also 
remember that among the first physicians to locate 
in Navarro County were Doctors McKie, who married 
a daughter of Col. Jacob Eliot, Leach, Oakes, Tate, 
Wooten, Croom, Carter and Dickson. Dr. Dickson is 
remembered by the early residents because of his spe¬ 
cialty of treating by the use of herbs and roots. Dr. 
Selman lived at Wadeville, Dr. Robinson lived at Dres¬ 
den and of the two Blackmon brothers, Ben and Dave, 
both of whom were physicians, one having lived at Eu¬ 
reka and the other at Angus. 

The early physician practiced in a day when he was 
required to do his curing without the aid of any trained 
assistant or well equipped hospital. There was no 


170 


DEVELOPMENT 


such thing as a trained nurse and the physician's own 
saddle bags and medicine case must contain all the ne¬ 
cessary equipment and the only assistants upon whom 
he could call were friends or members of the patient’s 
family. Operations were rare and it is to the credit of 
the early physician that he attained marvelous 
results with his elementary remedies and limited 
means. Modern bacteriologists had not produced a se¬ 
rum with which to combat such diseases as diphtheria 
and typhoid, and lack of sanitation increased the dan¬ 
ger of fevers and chills. Our modern hectic civiliza¬ 
tion, however, had not come into existence and brought 
with it the attendant nervous afflictions of today. The 
early physician was unaware of the real causes of many 
diseases and had no idea that the mosquito bite was the 
real carrier of yellow fever and malaria germs. Ap¬ 
pendicitis in those days was usually diagnosed as in¬ 
flammation of the bowels. The Navarro County Medi¬ 
cal Association carried a notice in the “Observer” dur¬ 
ing the year 1879 to the effect that there would be a 
meeting the first Friday of each month and the discus¬ 
sion for the following meeting would be “Black Jaun¬ 
dice, or malaria—Is It a Disease or Symptom of Dis¬ 
ease?” 

Dr. J. T. Suttle came with his father to Texas in 
1871 and during the early years of his practice lived 
near the community of Retreat but moved to Corsicana 
to spend the later years of his life. Of his four chil¬ 
dren his eldest son, Dr. I. N. Suttle, lived in Corsicana 
until his death in 1981 and established the Suttle Sani- 


171 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


tarium on Sixth Avenue and operated this hospital for 
several years. 

The first hospital in Corsicana was established by Dr. 
B. F. Houston and began operation in 1908. Dr. Hous¬ 
ton specialized in eye, ear, nose and throat afflictions. 
His original hospital boasted twelve beds with an op¬ 
erating room which was considered excellent at the 
time. It was used also for general practice. Dr. Hous¬ 
ton practiced in Corsicana for forty-two years and is 
succeeded by his son, Dr. Trim Houston, who is a 
well known dentist, and his son-in-law, Dr. W. D. Foun¬ 
tain, who is an outstanding physician. 

As the population of Navarro County increased it 
became evident that there should be a county hospital 
and from time to time efforts were made to procure 
the necessary funds with which to erect such an insti¬ 
tution. The culmination of these efforts was brought 
to a head in 1914 under Judge R. R. Owen and Com¬ 
missioners Worthington, Medaris, Payne and Slay. A 
brick residence of one-story was purchased. This resi¬ 
dence was located on Ninth Street and by the addition 
of necessary equipment the county hospital was estab¬ 
lished, Dr. S. H. Burnett acting as director and Mrs. 
A. M. Haslam as secretary. 

A nurses’ school was started in 1917 in conjunction 
with this hospital and this training school has grown 
until some few years ago a two-story home for the 
nurses was built. This year, 1931, seven girls received 
their nursing diplomas. At the present time the county 
hospital is under the efficient direction of Dr. L. E. 


172 


DEVELOPMENT 


Kelton, president of the staff, with Dr. McLendon, 
and Messrs. Garitty, Jester and Banks as directors, 
and Mrs. W. B. Taylor as head nurse. 

The Corsicana Hospital and Clinic was established in 
1928 on the corner of Sixth Avenue and Twelfth Street 
in the building which was formerly the Elks’ Hall. 
This is a completely furnished hospital under the guid¬ 
ance of Dr. W. T. Shell, president of staff and business 
manager. Dr. W. T. Shell, Jr., is assistant physi¬ 
cian and surgeon. 

The Navarro Hospital and Clinic was completed and 
opened to the public in 1929 on the corner of Collins 
and Thirteenth Streets and is a handsome four-story 
brick building which is a credit to the community. Dr. 
E. H. Newton is president of the institution and has 
associated with him Doctors Homer T. Jester, Wilson 
David, T. 0. Wills, W. R. Sneed. 

In addition to the physicians who live in Corsicana, 
Dr. B. W. D. Hill of Dawson, Drs. Blair and Currie 
of Kerens, Dr. A. N. Brown of Richland, and Dr. Bris¬ 
tow of Emhouse and Drs. Ellis and Kelsey of Bloom¬ 
ing Grove, Drs. Rice, Knox and J. R. Matlock of Frost 
and Dr. Russell of Purdon, have given long and faith¬ 
ful service to their communities. Dr. Hanks 
years of service to the Corbet community were ter¬ 
minated by his death in 1981. 

Doctors S. W. and Clay Johnson were prominent 
among the medical fraternity in Navarro County dur- 


173 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ing the Nineties. These brothers practiced until Dr. 
S. W. Johnson moved to Dallas. Dr. Clay Johnson 
moved to Fort Worth where he now resides. 

Dr. J. M. V. Wills came to Navarro County in 1874 
and first practiced in Eureka before moving to Corsi¬ 
cana where he continued his work until forced to re¬ 
tire because of ill health. Dr. T. A. Miller started prac¬ 
ticing in April, 1889, and deserves credit for his many 
years of service to the community; also for rearing a 
large family of worthwhile children, one son being a 
minister of the Church of Christ and the other four 
being physicians. Dr. Kelton has practiced continually 
for 35 years. His son, L. E. Kelton, Jr., has recent¬ 
ly completed the necessary study and is now associat¬ 
ed with his father. Dr. J. S. Daniel began the prac¬ 
tice of medicine first at Chatfield, thirty-five years 
ago and has been practicing in Corsicana for the past 
eighteen years. Dr. Daniel is known as the first phy¬ 
sician to bring an X-ray machine into use in Navarro 
County. 

Membership of the Navarro County Medical Asso¬ 
ciation now comprises sixty-five active members and 
their names are given herewith: 

J. C. Blair, S. H. Burnett, W. C. Bristow, W. W. Car¬ 
ter, W. D. Cross, D. B. Currie, R. C. Curtis, J. S. Dan¬ 
iel, J. Wilson David, J. R. Dickson, J. H. Edgar, E. B. 
Ellis, T. V. Fryar, Dan B. Hamill, J. J. Hamilton, M. L. 
Hanks, F. W. D. Horn, Homer B. Jester, J. A. Jones, 
W. K. Logsdon, J. E. McClung, W. 0. McDaniels, T. P. 


174 


DEVELOPMENT 


McLendon, John W. Matlock, Dubart Miller, T. A. Mil¬ 
ler, E. H. Newton, B. W. D. Hill, B. F. Houston, L. E. 
Kelton, E. B. Lowrey, K. W. Rowe, T. B. Sadler, Hugh 
Sloan, E. P. Norwood, H. H. Panton, W. R. Russell, I. 

N. Robinson, A. D. Sanders, G. H. Sanders, W. T. Shell, 
K. W. Sneed, W. R. Sneed, J. C. Stevens, I. N. Suttle, 
C. L. Tubb, T. 0. Wills, A. B. Worsham, T. W. Wade, H. 
R. McMullen, A. W. Rogers, Trim Houston, R. N. Hollo¬ 
way, F. B. Owens, H. E. Ezell, H. B. Love, L. C. Polk, 

O. C. Bowmer, J. T. Carter, W. M. Ellis, W. D. Foun¬ 
tain, J. J. Smith, W. H. Walker, J. P. Worsham, W. W. 
Williamson, W. T. Shell, Jr., L. E. Kelton, Jr. 

STREET RAILWAY 

The Corsicana Traction Company was organized in 
1902 under a fifty year franchise and street car serv¬ 
ice was inaugurated on June 19 of that year. For sev¬ 
eral years the street car line followed Main Street but 
after a few years' operation it was removed to Beaton 
Street. A loop originally extended down Fifteenth 
Street and around Mineral Hill, coming back to Fif¬ 
teenth Street South of the Cotton Belt Railroad. The 
franchise was acquired by the Texas Electric Railway 
Company in 1913 and street cars were operated in con¬ 
junction with the Corsicana-Dallas interurban. Due to 
the influx of automobiles and changing economic con¬ 
ditions the street railway company found it impossible 
to earn expenses and the operation of street cars was 
discontinued on September 30, 1931. The interurban 
line to Dallas, however, continues to operate. 


175 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


PUBLIC LIBRARY 

The Women's Clubs of Corsicana, under the direc¬ 
tion of Mrs. Rufus Hardy and Mrs. Maud W. Gordon, 
began work toward securing a library for Corsicana in 
1901. During that year $1,720 was raised and the first 
library was opened in the Hardy-Peck Building. The 
patrons paid $1 a year membership to have access to 
1,270 volumes which were on the shelves shortly after 
the library opened. 

The ladies from different clubs alternated as libra¬ 
rians until Miss Hettie May Leonard (Mrs. Pat Log- 
gins) was appointed librarian. She served for some 
time until Mrs. Mattie C. Houston was appointed to 
the post. 

Through the interest aroused by this initial effort a 
tax was voted for maintenance and Andrew Carnegie 
donated $25,000 toward building the present Carnegie 
Library which was opened January 1, 1906. 

The present library has about 21,000 volumes and 
with the exception of two years, during which time she 
was attending the University of Iowa, Mrs. Houston 
has been librarian and has served with the greatest 
efficiency. Miss Zoe Faddis was librarian during the 
time Mrs. Houston was taking her course in library 
work. 

The first library board was composed of: Mrs. Ru¬ 
fus Hardy, Captain C. H. Allyn, J. H. Woods, Frank 
Drane, Mrs. F. J. Halbert, Mrs. W. J. Gordon, Miss 
Louise Pace, Miss Hattie Kenner and Miss Zoe Faddis. 


176 


DEVELOPMENT 


CORSICANA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 

The Corsicana Commercial Club originated in the 
Nineties, and operated without any definite organiza¬ 
tion. It met upon call of the president, having no 
regular time of meeting. It met in the Merchants 
Opera House. There were approximately 65 paying 
members. The dues were $1.00 per month. J. B. 
Slade was the last secretary of this club. This club 
was composed mainly of the older citizens of the town 
among whom were, Capt. Allyn, James Garitty, J. 
E. Whiteselle, Steve Smith, W. M. Tatum, H. G. Da¬ 
mon, Ralph Beaton, J. H. Martin, J. D. Cunningham, 

R. M. Collins, F. N. Drane, P. C. Townsend, E. A. John¬ 
son, C. W. Jester, W. H. Staley, J. S. Cullinan, J E. 
Butler, J. T. Coulson, Fred Fleming, Allie Templeton, 

S. A. Pace, W. M. Wilson, Ben Fortson, J. B. Slade, 
Rufus Caldwell, E. H. Church, James L. Autrey, W. J. 
McKie, John L. Lee, Sam R. Frost, J. S. Callicutt, E. 0. 
Call, B. Marks, I. N. Cerf. 

About 1905 or 1906 among the younger men of the 
town there was organized the Corsicana Booster Club. 
Cal E. Kerr who had been greatly interested in a 
more active organization, particularly for the younger 
men in the city and who had fostered the beginning of 
this club, was made the first president and Lowry 
Martin was made secretary. The club was highly am¬ 
bitious and to quote the first secretary “was filled with 
zeal, energy and conversation, plenty of everything but 
money”. This club had between three and four hun¬ 
dred members paying monthly dues of fifty cents each. 


177 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


There were for a time two clubs, both interested in 
the same object, namely, the growth and betterment 
of Corsicana as a business center and better place in 
which to live. The Booster Club was later changed to 
the Corsicana Business League. The first secretary 
of this organization was Fred Walker and among 
the presidents of this club were John W. Carpen¬ 
ter, A. A. Wortham, Cal E. Kerr. 

Guy Gibson first forwarded the project of hav¬ 
ing the Corsicana Business League and the Corsicana 
Commercial Club combined into one organization, in 
that way concentrating the man-power of the city as 
well as the mature experience of the older club and the 
youth and enthusiasm of the later organization. This 
was done and out of this consolidation was created the 
Corsicana Chamber of Commerce. The Business 
League had offices at this time on Eleventh Street, up¬ 
stairs over the Western Union Office, which place re¬ 
mained the office of the Chamber of Commerce after 
its organization. 

As an expression of appreciation for the time and 
effort and work which he had given to the Booster 
Club and Commercial League, Lowry Martin was 
made first president of the Chamber of Commerce. 
Ralph Walker became agricultural agent and C. N. 
Olsen, district representative for the State Life Insur¬ 
ance Company, became first secretary. 

The past presidents of the Chamber of Commerce 
are as follows: 


178 


DEVELOPMENT 


Lowry Martin. 

T. J. Walton. 

J. Frank Williams. 



....1917-1918 

.1919 

1920 

J. N. Roy all 



1921 

R. J. Jackson. 



1922-1923 

J. M. Dyer. 



....1924-1925 

Sydney Marks 



....1926-1927 

C. L. Jester . 



....1928-1929 


Officers and directors of the Chamber of Commerce 
for 1930-31 are: Ted B. Ferguson, president; W. 0. 
Harwell, secretary; J. N. Edens, treasurer; R. J. Jack- 
son, national counselor; vice-presidents: F. N. Drane, 

A. G. Elliott, Lowry Martin, W. P. McCammon, C. C. 
Roberts, Clyde Foster and R. J. Jackson. Directors: 0. 
M. Boynton, F. N. Drane, J. M. Dyer, J. N. Edens, Ted 

B. Ferguson, Clyde Foster, R. J. Jackson, W. A. Lang, 
Lowry Martin, W. P. McCammon, C. A. Middleton, E. 

M. Polk, Festus A. Pierce, C. C. Roberts, W. C. Stroube, 
W. M. Spear and Max Wolens. 

CITY AND COUNTY OFFICIALS 

Corsicana now has a commission form of government 
with a mayor and four commissioners, all elective. 
The election is held on the first Tuesday in April of 
alternate years. The present (1931) city officials are 
J. W. Edens, mayor; Commissioners: R. D. Fleming, 
E. M. Palmer, W. C. Stroube and J. W. Jefferson; J. 
P. Welch, secretary; Chas T. Bannister, attorney; J. 

N. Garitty, treasurer; H. S. Melear, judge of corpora¬ 
tion court; J. M. Pugh, assessor and tax collector; E. 


179 

















HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


L. Keith, chief of fire department; W. S. Knight, chief 
of police; W. R. Sneed, physician, W. W. McClendon, 
engineer; G. M. Crook, sanitary engineer; C. B. Lewis, 
superintendent of water works pumping station. 

County officers during 1931 were Hawkins Scar¬ 
borough, district judge; Clay Nash, county judge; 
Cleo Miller, county attorney; Christopher L. Knox, as¬ 
sistant county attorney; Mrs. L. E. Hervey, district 
clerk; L. C. Morgan, county clerk; Dan Hanks, super¬ 
intendent of county schools; county commissioners: 
George Boyd, D. D. Sawyer, J. W. Harris and J. 0. Ses¬ 
sions; Rufus Pevehouse, sheriff; justices of the peace: 
Joe Cox, Prect. 1; Sam Jordan, Prect. 1*; Carl D. 
Heather, Prect. 2; T. A. Crowley, Prect. 3; Dalton 
Westmoreland, Prect. 4; John B. Jones, Prect. 5; C. 
Healer, Prect. 6; S. A. Johnston, Prect. 7; L. W. Var- 
nell, Prect. 8. 

*Sam Jordan succeeded W. W. Clopton, deceased. 



180 











CHAPTER VII 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 
SPRING HILL 

HE town bearing the distinction of being the oldest 



X in what is now Navarro County is the town of 
Spring Hill which was settled by Dr. George Hill many 
years before the county was organized. Spring Hill is 
located about twenty miles West of Corsicana near 
Richland Creek and the plentiful water supply from 
springs and from this stream doubtless influenced Dr. 
Hill in forming his settlement. The hills covered 
with beautiful trees and grassy prairies for grazing on 
all sides make the location of Spring Hill one of sylvan 
beauty. 

Dr. George Hill was born in Tennessee on April 22, 
1814. He attended college both in Wilson County, 
Tennessee, and Transylvania University, from which 
institution he received his degree in medicine. He 
came to Texas when he was only twenty-three years 
old, locating first at Old Franklin where he began prac¬ 
ticing medicine and he soon married Mrs. Matilda 
Slaughter, a widow with two children. President 
Houston made him Indian agent and records indicate 
he moved to what is now Spring Hill about 1888. Dur- 


181 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ing the early days of Dr. Hill's residence at Spring Hill 
hundreds of Indians camped near his house. The 
spring around which they camped was a short distance 
Northwest of the house. On only one occasion did 
they cause any trouble, that when a fight occurred with 
a surveying party. 

Dr. Hill lived in a double log house when he moved to 
Spring Hill but many years later this was torn down 
and a frame house built a short distance from the old 
residence. Of the early home nothing now remains ex¬ 
cept a few scattered rocks which were the foundation*. 

Dr. Hill served in the Texas Congress in the years 
1839, 1840, 1841 and 1842 and in 1843 was Secretary of 
War under President Houston, and in 1844 was reap¬ 
pointed by President Jones and held this position until 
Texas was annexed by the United States. He died 
in Spring Hill and was buried there May 29, 1860. 

Spring Hill is also mentioned in the early records 
as being the first point at which a raw-hide building 
was constructed. This building was erected in 1850 
and used as both church and school, the first teacher 
being a Mr. Finch and the first preacher, Tom Wil¬ 
liams. This raw-hide building was in the nature of an 
experiment, since hides were cheaper than lumber, but 
it served only as a temporary building. 

Among the early settlers of Spring Hill were the 
Ritchies, Treadwells, Onstotts, Fullertons, Stockards, 
Matthews, Sidwells, Garners, Wilkinsons, Lawrences, 


*His step-grandson-in-law, Will Matthews, now lives there. 
182 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Dawsons, Lees, McSpaddens and Cheathams. Both Wil¬ 
liam and Samuel Wright located near there. The Jer¬ 
ry Johnson family also the Ruckers and Mount fami¬ 
lies moved here in later years and two doctors made 
this community their home, Doctors Dean and Younger. 
Britton Dawson moved into this vicinity in the year 
1848 and on his land was the location for the town of 
Dawson. In 1859 he brought lumber by ox wagon from 
East Texas and built the house on his farm which still 
remains in an excellent state of preservation. Britton 
Dawson married, for his second wife, Susannah Can¬ 
non, who came to Texas with her stepfather, William 
Ritchie, and family about the year 1848. This William 
Ritchie was county commissioner and his home and 
trading post were about two miles from the grave of 
the Battle Creek victims. Records indicate that about 
the time the Ritchies arrived in Navarro County there 
were only five families living in the community, these 
being the Dr. Hill family spoken of previously, the 
Treadwell family and two of the Onstott brothers. Let¬ 
ters which still are in existence describe the method by 
which the Ritchies and others built their cabin. They 
dug holes in the ground and set posts into them, then 
nailed boards on each side of the posts and filled in the 
hollow spaces between with dirt. Mr. Ritchie and his 
two stepdaughters, unaided, erected the house, sawed 
the logs and blocks with which to get boards, smoothed 
these by hand with drawer knives and thus erected a 
livable habitation. 

A flour mill was located at Spring Hill and it operat- 
188 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ed late as 1884. The farmers grew their own wheat 
and had it made into flour, shorts and bran. 

Spring Hill was a thriving village until the railroads 
came and left it to one side. Some of the merchants 
moved to Dawson, others went to Corsicana and Dres¬ 
den and the town of Spring Hill remained a village but 
the countryside is still inhabited by people of sterling 
character. 

A great-nephew of Dr. George Hill who first 
settled Spring Hill lived near the place where his fa¬ 
mous ancestor settled until death. Dr. B. W. D. Hill 
came to Navarro County in 1886, living in Spring Hill 
for one year, then moving to Dawson where he died in 
1981. Dr. H. L. Matthews also lived in the Spring Hill 
community for forty-two years, moving to Dawson in 
1911 where he died in February, 1924. 

Spring Hill will retain an honored place in the his¬ 
tory of Navarro County due to its having been the first 
important settlement. 


DRESDEN 

Shortly after the settlement of Spring Hill by Dr. 
George Hill, Ethan Melton arrived on foot from Hous¬ 
ton and came to Dr. Hill’s home at Spring Hill. His 
entire belongings were a gun, a pack of clothes and a 
blanket. Taking a liking to the country, he settled 
nearby and was married to Dr. Hill’s sister about 1843. 

Mr. Melton’s first home was a log house and was the 
first distributing point for mail in this community, the 


184 


mn 



Top: Lisman ho?tie near C/iatfield, built in 1857 . 
Bottom: Dr. JV. S. Robinson’s home at Dresden. 


Ill 












































. 








































TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


mail being brought on horseback. Letters in those 
days were not always in envelopes, sometimes they 
were tied with a string, sometimes folded or sometimes 
sealed with wax. Postage was usually about 10c per 
letter. The post office was first designated as 
“Spanky” but when on May 22, 1846, a regular post 
office was established it was recorded as Melton and 
was the first post office in Navarro County. 

Mr. Melton was a prominent citizen in the early days 
and a slave owner since among the records were found 
a notice where in 1848 he bought a negro girl, 14 years 
of age, by the name of Mary, from A. Barry of Raleigh. 
This transaction was witnessed by Henry Cook and 
John Tucker. 

In March, 1847, three acres of land were acquired 
for church, school and burying ground with Jacob 
Hartzell, Ethan Melton and Henry Cook as trustees. 

Ethan Melton’s first wife died at an early date and 
he later married a Miss Welch. Of the six children 
living to maturity, J. E. Melton, Angie Melton, who is 
now Mrs. Blayston, and C. C. Melton still live in Na¬ 
varro County, the latter residing in the old home place 
in which he was born seventy-odd years ago. One of 
the historic spots in Navarro County is the Melton pri¬ 
vate cemetery which was originally the garden back of 
the house. 

The name of Melton was changed in 1849 on the re¬ 
cords of the county clerk’s office, to Richland, the 
town of Richland which was about a mile south of 


185 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Melton having been plotted on land set aside by Jacob 
Hartzell, D. B. Hartzell and J. A. Roark. Many lots 
in the town of Richland were sold. Numbers of the ear¬ 
ly residents of Navarro County settled first at this 
point which was at that time one of the leading towns 
in the county. 

Jacob Hartzell or Dr. W. S. Robinson, or both, were 
credited with the name of Dresden, but that name has 
become permanent. 

Jacob Hartzell and wife, Elizabeth (Berget) Hart¬ 
zell, were born in Pennsylvania. They first moved to 
Canton, Ohio, where their son, Dan, was born and in 
his youth they moved to Texas and settled near Melton. 

They were prominent in business and social affairs 
of the county. Dan Hartzell was married to a daugh¬ 
ter of B. F. Carroll, who lived near, and made his home 
in Dresden. His children were Ben, who married Clem- 
mie Haden; Dora, who became the wife of Fred Flem¬ 
ing ; Mollie, who married Mr. Sullenberger; Carrie, who 
became Mrs. Lutterloh; Jacob, the youngest, still lives 
in Dresden. 

Dr. W. S. Robinson came from Tennessee and made 
his home in Dresden. He practiced medicine within a 
radius of fifty miles, mostly on horseback, for the re¬ 
mainder of his life. Dr. Robinson was said to have had 
the first drug store in Navarro County, outside of Cor¬ 
sicana. He and his wife brought up a large family and 
have many descendants now in the county. 

The town of Dresden, situated on or near Richland 
186 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Creek, is about twenty miles West of Corsicana, and a 
few miles from Spring Hill. Trees, shrubbery and 
flowers flourished there. 

Although surrounded by fertile land and every re¬ 
quisite for a town except easy transportation, Dres¬ 
den’s growth ended when the railroads chose other 
routes. 

A few miles from Dresden lived the family of James 
Haden and his wife (Priscilla January). They inter¬ 
ested themselves in the welfare of their community and 
in county affairs. Even in his old age, Mr. Haden was 
chairman of Navarro County’s Democratic organiza¬ 
tion. Their children were Patty, Mary, Clemmie, Joel, 
John and Charles. Many descendants of this family 
live in Navarro County. 

A tribe of Tonkawah Indians lived in the vicinity of 
Dresden and although unusually friendly they some¬ 
times became intoxicated upon the white man’s ‘Tire 
water” and would stage a battle among themselves 
and create a great deal of excitement. Mothers told 
tales of what the “Tonks” would do to bad children and 
the reputation of the tribe was probably made the 
worse from mothers scaring their children by tales of 
terrible massacres which the ‘‘Tonks” might commit 
any time the children did not behave as the parents 
suggested. 

Dresden became one of the foremost communities in 
what is now Navarro County and at an early date took 
the lead in education and in 1872 a large two-story 
school building was erected about three-quarters of a 


187 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


mile Northeast of the town and was known as Dresden 
College. Professor Dick was one of the first educators 
and in 1875 J. B. Jones and E. J. L. Wyrick conducted 
a successful school there. Professor Jones married one 
of his students, Alice Gowan, the daughter of Richard 
Gowan, and they now reside in Corpus Christi. Prom¬ 
inent among early patrons of Dresden College were the 
Hartzells, Robinsons, Hadens, Ransomes, Davises, Gow- 
ans, Strouds, Polks, Highs, Thomasons, McMillans, 
Johnsons, Pevehouses, Welchs, Howards, Spivis, Stokes, 
Grants, Hicks, Youngs, Carrolls, Griffins, Fagalas, 
Mabrys, Bryants and Stokes. Only one store and a 
few residents of the old town are left at present. 

The Rev. W. F. Grant was an early resident of 
Dresden and in addition to being a minister of the Gos¬ 
pel he owned a cotton gin and a com and flour mill 
nearby. Other ministers serving Dresden in the early 
days were J. J. Davis, Finch Winburn, R. C. Arm¬ 
strong and Everett Armstrong, who were of the 
Methodist faith, while A. Templeton was Cumberland 
Presbyterian and the Revs. Freeman and Mullins were 
among the Baptist ministers. 

Among the early settlers of Dresden, in addition to 
the ones spoken of as having patronized the college, 
was the B. F. Carroll family who came to Navarro 
County in 1851. B. F. Carroll was a member of the 
Sixth Legislature of Texas. B. F. Carroll, Jr., was a 
pioneer apiarian in this part of Texas having found a 
swarm of bees in 1866 while out hunting and after car¬ 
rying them home he began an industry which he con- 


188 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 

ducted throughout his life. At one time the Carroll 
Apiaries were considered the finest in the State. Rec¬ 
ords indicate that in 1882 he sold several tons of 
honey. Mr. Carroll also had as a hobby the raising of 
fine poultry of many varieties and had rare specimens 
from as far away as Japan and Hindustan. His broth¬ 
er, Squire J. T. Carroll married Miss Pevehouse, a 
daughter of one of the early settlers and many of their 
descendants still live in Navarro County. Rufus Peve¬ 
house, an efficient sheriff of Navarro County, is a 
descendant of this early family. 

The Go wan family came to Dresden from North Car¬ 
olina in 1867. Many descendants of this early fam¬ 
ily still reside in the vicinity, among them Frank 
Young. The Cunningham brothers, Estil and Jack, are 
also descendants of this pioneer family. The Thomi- 
son family and the Huff family of Blooming Grove are 
also early settlers of Dresden community. 

S. J. T. Johnson and his brothers, Jerry, E. W. and 
W. D. came to Navarro County soon after the Civil 
War, settling in Dresden. These four brothers were in 
the mercantile business in Dresden until 1872 when 
S. J. T. was elected sheriff, and he afterwards en¬ 
tered business in Corsicana as a member of the firm 
of Drane and Johnson. Mr. Johnson was appointed 
commissioner to the North Central and Southern Ex¬ 
position at New Orleans in 1885, and representative at 
Queen Victoria's Jubilee in 1886. He was also one of 
the founders of Trinity College at Tehuacana. 


189 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


E. W. and W. D. Johnson moved to Corsicana where 
they went into busineess under the name of Johnson 
Brothers. Mrs. E. W. Johnson resides in Corsicana 
and, although her sons have moved away, her two 
daughters, Mrs. Chris Knox and Mrs. W. P. McCam- 
mon, still reside in Corsicana. W. D. Johnson resided 
in Corsicana after the death of his wife and daughter. 

RALEIGH 

The heads of families trekking westward in covered 
wagons, always remained on the lookout for a good 
place to settle. Wood and water were prime requisites 
to the pioneers. It was also necessary that suitable 
soil for cultivation be located. Practically all of the early 
settlements embraced these three favorable items. The 
first settlers invariably chose sandy land upon which to 
locate. 

Several of the early families found these three 
things at a place near Dresden which was called Ra¬ 
leigh. Augustus Barry was one of the first men to lo¬ 
cate in this settlement and among other early families 
who lived around Raleigh were the Strouds, Keys, 
Crosslands, Tadlocks, Terrys, some members of the 
French family, and Dr. Reese and family. 

There was a post office, blacksmith shop, church, 
school and grist mill at Raleigh. It is still a prosperous 
community. 

TAOS OR PORTER’S BLUFF 

In any new country first settlements were always 
made along the routes of transportation and this was 


190 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


true of frontier Texas as well as other places. The 
Trinity River was the first artery of commerce over 
which man and merchandise might be transported in¬ 
to Central and North Texas. The old town of Jeffer¬ 
son on Caddo Lake was the point farthest inland to 
which boats of much capacity might ascend and the 
early settlers of Texas came by boat to this point and 
penetrating the interior to where Navarro County is 
now located meant a trip of one or two months by 
wagon. 

Since it appeared that the Trinity might become an 
important artery of commerce Col. Robert H. Por¬ 
ter conceived the idea of establishing a city on a tract 
of ground which he had received on the Trinity River 
in exchange for his services in the Texas Revolution. 
The river flowed directly through this grant of land 
and with the assistance of his friend, John H. Reagan, 
who was a surveyor, Col. Porter had a town survey¬ 
ed in 1848 and streets laid off and gave to it the name 
of Taos. A ferry was established here and records in¬ 
dicate that among the first ferrymen was David 
Flint. Lots in Taos seemed to be in demand, a twenty 
room hotel was built, houses soon sprang up and be¬ 
fore long Taos was a thriving village of blacksmith 
shops, stores, saw mill and records indicate that for 
some time it was one of the most important towns of 
Navarro County. A road East and West passed 
through Taos and it was an important settlement for 
a number of years. Taos was located approximately 
seventeen miles Northeast of Corsicana. Small steam¬ 
boats, known as packets, came up the Trinity River 


191 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


as far as Taos bringing coffee, tobacco and supplies 
which were needed. The arrival of every steamboat 
with its cargo and with newspapers from the outside 
world was something of a holiday and people came by 
wagon, horse back and on foot to greet the boat’s ar¬ 
rival. 

After the influx of settlers began, navigation of the 
Trinity River in small boats was pushed farther and 
farther North until in 1836 the “Scioto Bell” came up 
the Trinity approximately as far as the present location 
of Dallas. In 1842 the “Ellen Franklin” also made a 
trip of several hundred miles up the Trinity. Until 
about the year 1860 the lower reaches of the Trinity 
were constantly used by steamboats and as far North 
as Taos. The “Mary Clifton,” a vessel large enough 
to hold 2500 bales of cotton, made several trips up the 
Trinity. Records indicate, however, this vessel only 
came as far North as Taos on one occasion. Among 
the smaller packets which navigated the Trinity at 
regular intervals the “Guadaloupe,” the “Kate,” the 
“Early Bird,” the “Vesta” and “Belle of Texas.” 

In 1868 a steamboat known as Job Boat No. 1, under 
the command of Capt. James McGarvey, came up the 
Trinity to Taos and then ascended the river to what 
was then a thriving little village known as Dallas. The 
avowed purpose of this trip was to interest the public 
in making the Trinity more navigable. Charles N. 
Eley represented to some interested parties that be¬ 
tween the years 1865 and 1872 thirty-five steamboats 
were operating more or less regularly on the Trinity 


192 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


River. On December 17, 1868, the “Sally Haynes” vio¬ 
lated precedent by coming down the river on her 
maiden voyage. This boat was built in Dallas and 
launched amidst greatest enthusiasm. The “Sally Hay¬ 
nes” made several trips up and down the river until it 
struck a snag and sank. 

Records on file show the rate charged by the ferry 
at Taos for six horses or three yoke of oxen and a 
wagon for transportation across the river to have been 
$1, sheep or hogs 2y 2 c per head, a man on horseback 
was charged 50c, while a two horse buggy or hack 
cost $2.50 although a one horse buggy was only $2.00 
These prices were in effect when the river was low but 
if the river happened to be high the tarriff was in¬ 
creased in proportion. When the time came to decide 
upon a capitol of Texas, Taos was one of the towns 
seeking the location for the state house and, inciden¬ 
tally, this trading post came within a few votes of be¬ 
ing made the capitol of Texas. 

Among those who lived in or near Taos were John 
Hamilton and his brother, James Hamilton, both 
of whom owned several slaves. William Lancford, 
Berry Lancford, Harris De Armand, W. L. and Frank¬ 
lin Browning, Eli and Thomas Smith, Ridley Thomas, 
Joseph, Benjamin, George and Alfred Bragg, the Lees, 
Poitevauts, Bartletts, C. B. Roberts, James Clark, Reu¬ 
ben Guinn, J. A. Johnson, John W. and Calvin Caldwell, 
J. B. Anthony, Frederick Seibert, J. C. Jeffers and 
Lewis Cadwell. Geo. and William Hogan also lived in 
Taos and when a road was opened from Chatfield to 

193 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


the South side of Chambers Creek they built a bridge 
crossing the stream. The bridge at this point is still 
known as Hogan’s Bridge. 

The history of Taos or Porter’s Bluff as it was later 
ealled, might have been entirely different had not the 
H. & T. C. railroad extended its line from Bryan into 
Corsicana in the year 1871. The various river projects 
were started from 1853 to 1866 when the Texas Legis¬ 
lature passed an act incorporating the Trinity River 
Slack Water Navigation Company. About the time 
this occurred, however, the H. & T. C. railroad began 
vigorous extension of its line and the river project was 
doomed. 

In view of the recent agitation for navigation of the 
Trinity River it is rather interesting to note that, at 
the insistence of residents of Taos, Federal aid was ask¬ 
ed of the government and in 1853 Lieut. H. C. 
Whiting, an army engineer, informed Jefferson Davis, 
Secretary of War during the administration of Presi¬ 
dent Pierce, that the Trinity River was the deepest and 
least obstructed river in Texas and handed his report in 
with a favorable recommendation that the government 
take steps to develop this waterway. Nothing was 
ever done about it. The coming of the railroad meant 
disaster to all of these towns living upon the river 
traffic since the railroad carried freight at such low 
rates that the steamboats soon gave up the unequal 
competition. After the steamboats were out of opera¬ 
tion the rate of a bale of cotton from Dallas to Hous¬ 
ton jumped from $1.05 per bale to $2.45 per bale. 


194 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


In 1866 a very destructive flood washed away much 
of the town of Taos and since the approaching steel 
rails of the H. & T. C. railroad dampened the ardor of 
those who lived on and by the river it gradually disin¬ 
tegrated. 

A bridge was also built at Dallas which took much of 
the business away from the ferry in high water times 
and in the Eighties a bridge was built at Porter’s Bluff 
displacing the ferry entirely. There is at this time no 
sign of the thriving town which eighty or ninety years 
ago flourished as the packets plied up and down the 
river. The only visible remains are scattered chim¬ 
neys and some old cable rusting near the river at the 
point where the ferry formerly crossed. In 1920 the 
Federal government ordered the bridge which spanned 
the Trinity to be removed and now it is impossible to 
cross the river at the point where once traffic was so 
brisk. The Trinity River Canal Association, now at 
work on securing Governmental aid, has as president, 
John W. Carpenter, who was born and grew to man¬ 
hood in Navarro County. 

Taos was threatened with a competitor in 1848 and 
in Book “A,” Page 314, in the Court House Records of 
Corsicana a town plot of 110 blocks was laid off and all 
provisions were made for a town several miles South of 
Taos. Several lots were sold, one of them to Stephen 
M. Riggs, who paid $50 for his parcel of ground and 
made provisions for a mill. Blacksmith shops and oth¬ 
er forerunners of frontier settlements were also plan- 


195 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ned but this settlement did not long survive. It was 
called Trinity City. 


CHATFIELD 

The story of the location of the town of Chatfield is 
very interesting. About the year 1848, shortly after 
the settlement of Taos, an old man named Chatfield 
pitched his tent near a spring a few miles West of Taos 
on the road to Corsicana and from this “base of sup¬ 
ply” he peddled tinware and household articles to the 
early settlers. However, after each trip to the set¬ 
tlements he would return to his spring and once more 
erect his tent and display his wares to those passing 
along the road. In a short time after this itinerant 
merchant made the spring his headquarters another 
man by the name of Kincaid settled near the spring 
and soon a community sprang up which took the name 
of the old peddler, Chatfield. 

Some of the early settlers around this spring, in the 
midst of which the town grew, were Captain Robert 
Hodge, and Josiah Hodge, his brother. R. L. Hodge, 
son of Capt. Hodge, was bom and lived near Chatfield 
for 72 years. 

Chatfield was a very important community about the 
time of the Civil War and is particularly remembered 
for one man who contributed his share to the Confed¬ 
erate Army. This man was B. F. Lisman who oper¬ 
ated a blacksmith shop at Chatfield and he made such 
excellent sabres for the Confederate soldiers that his 


196 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


daughter, Mrs. Joe Clayton, can today show a letter 
from the quartermaster saying that the Lisman sa¬ 
bres were the best he had seen. Mr. Lisman was post¬ 
master at Chatfield during the Civil War, at which 
time the post office was called Mesquite and during 
the period of the Confederate government. The name 
was later resumed as Chatfield. 

Chatfield had excellent subscription schools for many 
years. One of the teachers there for several years, 
around 1854, was John Ballew. He also taught at 
Raleigh—and other places—and in his later years serv¬ 
ed as district clerk in Corsicana. 

Chatfield also had an excellent artisan in the person 
of Bailey Crofford who made furniture of oak and wal¬ 
nut in Trinity bottom. It still excells most furniture 
of modern times. His furniture was made without nail 
or screw and that which can be seen today indicates 
the excellence of his craft. 

Some of the descendants of the early pioneers of 
Chatfield who still live near this community are the 
following families: Robert Witherspoon, John and 
Will Finch, J. P. Thorp, George Meredith, Will Mizell, 
Nail McMullen, Ford Marchbanks, and some of the 
Braggs, Jeffers, Harpers, and Montforts. Many of 
the early residents of Chatfield still live in Navarro 
County and the names signed to a petition asking that 
because of his usefulness Mr. Lisman, be exempted 
from army duty, which is given herewith, will indicate 
some of these families: B. G. Scogin, W. B. Rose, 
N. (Nicholas) Graham, W. S. Hodge, J. R. 


197 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Cooksey, J. R. Ransom, Wm. A. Neal, Zeke Beasley, 
Reuben Jones, B. Lile, Z. Westbrook, Henry Brown, 
James Lowry, J. G. Vaughn, W. Kerr, John P. Miller, 
Benjamin Kilgore, Henry Griggs, M. L. French, Dr. A. 
J. Cage (from Tennessee), D. M. Brown, J. A. Clayton, 
W. A. Lockhart, J. A. Farmer, J. G. Neal, B. J. Cham¬ 
bers and E. G. Sessions. 

WADEVILLE 

Wadeville also was one of the first towns in Navarro 
County. Records indicate that by the year 1850 quite 
a settlement had grown up Southeast of the present 
town of Kerens and was designated by the name of 
Wadeville when a post office was established in Mack 
Wade’s store in 1866. 

Col. E. H. Root located in Wadeville in 1851 and 
was followed between the years 1854 and 1856 by Capt. 
F. M. Martin, Rush Walker, J. T. Person, David 
Sherrill, Josiah Daniel, Allen Smith, Elias Carrol, 
Squire Coffey and the above mentioned Mack Wade. 
George and William Noble also moved into this settle¬ 
ment and Nelson and Frank Owen lived nearby. 

Capt. Martin had a trading post on his farm prior 
to the Civil War but when the post office was estab¬ 
lished Capt. Martin moved his store from the farm 
to the center of the settlement. T. S. Daniel clerked 
in Wade’s Store and was appointed postmaster and 
held the office of postmaster until his father and he 
formed a business under the name of Josiah Daniel and 
Son, at which time Col. S. P. Day succeeded Mr. 


198 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Daniel as postmaster, also occupying the same position 
when the Wadeville settlement merged into the pres¬ 
ent town of Kerens. Before there was a post office at 
Wadeville mail was brought into J. T. Person’s store, 
which is about four miles West of Wadeville, and hand¬ 
ed out over the counter along with the sugar and cof¬ 
fee. Among others who had stores at Wadeville from 
time to time were George Noble, Preston Owen and a 
Mr. Williams. J. H. South worth and Mr. Spivey also 
operated trading posts in Wadeville for a short time. 

About 1856 David Sherrill built a gin to take care of 
the cotton which was grown by the early settlers and 
after the Civil War both Capt. Martin and Pope Has¬ 
sell operated cotton gins. The lint was the only item 
considered of any value and during the ginning season 
the cotton seed was piled and burned, the smoke and 
smoldering flames giving an eerie appearance to the 
mellow fall nights. It was some time before the early 
Texans learned the value of cotton seed as a food for 
cattle. 

Mrs. S. P. Day seems to have been one of the first 
educators in the Wadeville community, having taught 
a private school. Capt. A. J. Fowler was one of the 
instructors. Teachers who later assisted in the educa¬ 
tion of the youth of Wadeville were J. W. Hornbeak, 
J. A. Melear and a Mr. Bishop. 

There was no church in Wadeville, the nearest be¬ 
ing adjacent to the Jameson graveyard, where reli¬ 
gious services were attended by the residents of Wade- 


199 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ville. Services were also held later in the school house 
and records indicate that some of the early ministers 
were Dr. J. C. Ward, Rev. Beasley, W. J. Lackey, 
W. B. Preston and J. W. Hornbeak also preached 
from time to time. 

The physical well-being of the community was look¬ 
ed after by Dr. John Selman who answered calls from 
the residents of Wadeville regardless of whether it 
might have been in the heat of summer or the chill of 
winter. 

An interesting side light on life around Wadeville in 
the early days is given by a Mrs. Ambercrombie who 
wrote the following reminiscences of frontier life in 
the Swisher Magazine: 

“Col. Root relates an interesting inci¬ 
dent which occurred in a rabbit chase upon 
the prairies, as was quite customary in our 
County. We often indulged in the delightful¬ 
ly wild sport of chasing the mule-eared rabbit. 

On one occasion I remember an unusually 
large party collected near my home at Wade¬ 
ville. At least eighty persons were equipped 
for the chase with twenty or thirty fine blood¬ 
ed Spanish hounds eagerly awaiting the sig¬ 
nal for action. We lost no time but were soon 
engaged in a glorious pursuit. The dogs ran 
splendidly and our fleetest horses were left in 
the distance. Foremost and conspicuous in the 
chase were two young men, Willie Day and 


200 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Tommy Branburg, while Miss Ellie Ruffin, a 
fine equestrian, was equal to the emergency. 
The contest between the rabbits and hounds 
grew momentarily more exciting and every¬ 
one was wild with enthusiasm, buf alas! this 
pleasure was suddenly and sadly abridged. 
The two young men and Miss Ruffin still held 
the front when, as if by magic, the trail was 
changed and of course the followers had to 
turn abruptly. These three persons collided 
with a most distressing result. The horses 
struck each other skull to skull, throwing all 
three riders to the ground. Upon examination 
it was found that Day was dead, Branburg 
seemed dying and Miss Ruffin was in a sense¬ 
less condition. Being miles away from water 
we conveyed them to the creek but no restora¬ 
tives could revive poor Day. We buried him 
sadly next day. Branburg eventually recov¬ 
ered and Miss Ruffin's injuries were slight. 
The sport of rabbit chasing went on and there 
were other amusements, such as candy pull¬ 
ings, weddings and Christmas dinners, dances, 
spelling-bees and house raising. When a man 
wanted to build a house, often he would hew 
his logs, clear a place and on a certain day his 
neighbors would help him “raise” it; getting 
it up and partially covered in one day. Neigh¬ 
bors were kind and helpful in sickness or mis¬ 
fortune. They were most free and thought¬ 
ful in their kindness, sitting up all night, 


201 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sometimes for weeks, to minister to some one 
suffering and without a thought of pay; 
cooking and sending food.” 

Wadeville continued to be a thriving place until the 
coming of the railroad to Kerens at which time the in¬ 
habitants moved to the railroad and the only remain¬ 
ing indication of the once prosperous community is a 
few scattered piles of stone which once were the 
chimneys to the dwellings. 

The history of Wadeville would not be complete 
without mentioning one of Wadeville’s prominent citi¬ 
zens. Marion Martin, who was born in Kentucky in 
1830, moved into Navarro County in 1853 and made his 
home near Wadeville. He was elected to the State Sen¬ 
ate in 1859 and took a conspicuous part in the political 
discussions of the era. Senator Martin was opposed to 
secession, declaring that the grievances of the South 
should be settled by a more peaceable method. Al¬ 
though he was opposed to secession, when the Civil 
War broke out Senator Martin enlisted in the Bass 
Regiment. He was elected Lieutenant Governor in 1882 
after having been a member of the 16th and 17th 
Senates. His widow and son reside in Corsicana. 

In 1852 the authority for a road leading from Corsi¬ 
cana to the Wild Cat crossing on Trinity River was 
approved and this road passed near Wadeville and 
Rural Shade and, although built eighty years ago, this 
is still a good road in dry weather. 

Wadeville was a prominent stopping point for the 


202 



Honorable Marion Martin 

During his lifetime he was a member 
of the 1 6 th and \ 7 tl 1 Legislatures, lie 
was Lieutenant Governor 
1882-1884 































































































TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


new settlers enroute to Texas and its tournaments, 
camp meetings, and political picnics served to keep its 
prominence alive. 


RURAL SHADE 

In 1850 Hugh and Washington Ingram came to Tex¬ 
as from Georgia and settled a few miles Southeast of 
the Wadeville community. After finding a suitable lo¬ 
cation they joined some other families and formed a 
group settlement, calling it Rural Shade. Among these 
families were the Owens, Austins, Wilsons and Sears 
and others. A year or two later Richmond and Ander¬ 
son Ingram joined their relatives in the community. 

About the year 1870 James Ingram, one of Hugh In¬ 
gram's sons, applied steam to the grist mill and this 
was a novelty which attracted the attention and pat¬ 
ronage of the public for some time. The Ingram family 
is represented in Navarro County at the present time 
by Wash Ingram of Kerens. Both Mrs. Bob Coates 
and Mrs. Bruce Coates are members of this pioneer 
family. Dr. Green Kerr and Calvin Kerr of Corsicana 
were related by marriage to this early Rural Shade 
family. 

All of the homes in Rural Shade were built by hand, 
the slaves doing their part to erect the houses. A post 
office was established in 1858 and Wash Ingram was 
the first postmaster. Rural Shade continued as a post 
office until 1912 when rural free delivery was sub¬ 
stituted as more efficient. 


203 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Rural Shade has had two different locations, the for¬ 
mer being about a mile South of the present location, 
to which the settlement was moved in 1883 after much 
discussion. This move was made to be nearer the road. 
One of the interesting inhabitants of early Rural Shade 
was a slave who belonged to Wash Ingram and whose 
name was Bozzle. The early residents made the 
claim that there was no blacksmith in Texas who could 
do as skillful work as this slave and many claim that 
with modern equipment the present blacksmith could 
not surpass this early artisan's work. A blacksmith in 
those days found it necessary to be very versatile be¬ 
cause every implement and farm tool was of necessity 
made entirely by hand. 

In order to help get money with which to erect a new 
school in 1879 “Uncle Phil” Ware played the fid¬ 
dle at dances free of charge and thus did his part to 
promote early education in Rural Shade. Col. Floyd 
was the teacher of this first school which burned in 
1883 and had to be rebuilt. Rural Shade now enjoys a 
good six-teacher school. In addition to the literary 
establishments during the early days of Rural Shade a 
singing school was also conducted at intervals by a 
man named Biddler. Singing was done without the 
help of an organ, but with a tuning fork, the teacher 
reading the words from a hymn book, the congregation 
thereupon singing the song. 

Rural Shade is still a prosperous community with 
three grocery stores as well as garages, blacksmith 
shops, gin and other business establishments. 


204 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The church where the old hymns were sung has 
grown into a modern institution with an enrollment of 
nearly two hundred members. 

Numbers of negroes who now live near Rural Shade 
are descendants of slaves owned by the Ingrams and 
other early settlers. Some of these slaves still live on 
land belonging to descendants of their former masters. 

RICHLAND 

The trail which ran from Corsicana to Old Franklin, 
by way of Springfield, also went by the settlement 
around Asa Chambers’ Store. Ownership, as well as lo¬ 
cation, of this store changed a number of times but the 
mail was always distributed from there. For many 
years it was the nucleus of a large settlement on 
Pisgah Ridge, a long, high ridge about 15 miles from 
Corsicana and separated from it by Richland Creek. 
Since the earliest settlements in Navarro, its scenic 
beauty has attracted attention, largely because of its 
outcroppings of limestone and rich historic interest. In 
this settlement were some of Navarro’s best citizens, 
and for many years, some very rough citizens. There 
were many wild horses and many kinds of wild game. 
Many citizens drove their cattle here during dry sum¬ 
mers, coming from other parts of the county, to leave 
their herds for weeks on the open range near water. 

The Bowmans, Tramels, Nashes, Picketts, Carrolls, 
Andersons, Meadors, Garlicks, Roberts, Ross and Tank- 
ersley were some of the early families. 


205 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


If Spanish fever cost newcomers some of their 
cows these pioneers gave them others. Horses were 
there for the taking. 

Eleazar Nash moved to Pisgah Ridge from Massa¬ 
chusetts, in 1844. With one of his two step-sons, Clin¬ 
ton Fouty, he joined the rush to California during the 
gold excitement. The other step-son remained and 
took over the head-right to hold it. Mr. Nash later re¬ 
turned to Navarro and remained until his death. Dr. 
S. A. Ross moved there in 1847 where he reared a large 
family. The Nash family was also large. Many des¬ 
cendants of both families are still citizens of Navarro 
County. 

When the H. & T. C. Railroad came through, a sta¬ 
tion was built and the present town of Richland had its 
beginning, the designation being taken from the near¬ 
by creek of that name. After that, at certain times of 
the year, the railroad was the one way of reaching the 
county seat because of the overflow of Richland Creek. 
For many years the country around Richland 
was engaged principally in stock raising but with the 
influx of citizens, pastures and ranges were cut up into 
farms. This was not done without some friction. The 
loss of free grazing aroused the ire of many. However, 
this section always has had a sufficient number of 
law-abiding citizens to keep balance and the ‘‘undesir¬ 
ables” gradually drifted out or passed out. Dr. A. N. 
Brown, who has lived there for fifty years, loves to tell 
of the change since that time, from a malaria-ridden 
district to a community of rich farms, healthful homes 


206 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


and good schools with their attendant developments of 
various kinds. 

A lime kiln near Pisgah furnished lime to many of 
the early settlers. In fact there were many such kilns 
over the county. Many burned their own brick al¬ 
though it was not thought that the clay was good for 
brick in many places. 

Run-away negroes often went to Richland Creek and 
Chambers Creek bottoms. Patrols and owners often 
experienced difficulty in recovering them. 

With the oil boom of Navarro County Richland re¬ 
ceived a share, and now being on Highways 75 and 14, 
with gins, dairies, the rock quarry and other develop¬ 
ments, Richland has a bright future. 

Some of the present citizens are Mayor H. W. 
Steppe, superintendent of schools E. P. Gaines, Drs. 
Edgar and Brown and the families of Swinks, Rich¬ 
ards, Hilbums, Elkins, Patricks, Madewells, Healer, 
Harmand, Lafland, Fluker, Tucker, Middlebrooks and 
pastors Poteet and Bohanan. 

After the Civil War William H. Pursley moved to 
and settled a place a few miles north of Pisgah Ridge. 
He owned about twelve hundred acres of land, built a 
store and secured a post office in Pursley. He was a 
citizen of prominence. The store is still operated by 
his son. William Ward and son, John, also lived near 
there. John Ward's wife was a sister of Harvey Bee- 
man’s wife. Later Mr. Pursley moved to Corsicana 
and built a house which was afterward owned by S. 


207 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


G. Mullins who reared his family there. Reverend E. 
W. Mullins, his son, became a brilliant minister and 
educator in the Baptist Church. 

BLOOMING GROVE 

Shortly after the Civil War several families settled 
a few miles North of Dresden and R. J. Grady and 
Sam Andrews built a small store and put in a 
stock of general merchandise. In about a year W. D. 
Grady bought out Andrew's interest and he and his 
brother operated the store. This point was called 
“Gradyville” for some years until Dr. James Davis 
bought an interest in the store and applied for a post 
office. When they were casting about for a name the 
appellation of Blooming Grove was decided upon be¬ 
cause of the fact there was a beautiful grove of trees 
near the location of the town and Dr. Davis had a 
young son whose name was Blooming Price and they 
combined part of the name of the boy with that of 
“grove." The post office was asked for and approved 
under the name of Blooming Grove. 

Numbers of families began to move to the new town 
and settle within the town or nearby. Dr. H. B. Ran¬ 
som was one of the early physicians and Rev. G. 
P. Miller was pastor of the Methodist church which 
was built in 1869. The Christian church was built in 
1874. 

When the Cotton Belt railroad was built in 1881 it 
ran about one mile north of town, but the town grad- 


208 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ually moved to the railroad and Blooming Grove is to¬ 
day a city of some 1500 population with a variety of 
business institutions of all kinds as well as up-to-date 
schools, churches and all conveniences that go to make 
up a thriving city. 

Among the early residents of Blooming Grove were 
the Huffs, Campbells, Hartleys, McSpaddens, Williams, 
Langstons, Mabrys, Phillips, Whortons, Jones, Gradys, 
Henrys, Grimmes, Harris, Pruitts, Maggards, Carrolls, 
Georges, Highfe, Loyds, Robinsons, McClanahans, Sew¬ 
ells, Youngs, Coxes, Grants, Gowans, Fagalas and Grif¬ 
fins. 

Some members of the business men’s luncheon club 
and leading citizens of Blooming Grove at the present 
time are T. M. Sewell, mayor; R. B. McCormick, presi¬ 
dent of luncheon club; C. N. Dillingham, president of 
Blooming Grove Fair Association; Dr. W. M. Ellis, T. 
M. George, Jr., banker; Justin McSpadden, banker; L. 
I. Griffin, C. L. Tillman, John George, G. E. Ramsey, 
R. L. Harris, J. W. Harris, Dr. C. C. Kelsey, J. I. Saun¬ 
ders and J. E. Walker. 

BAZETTE 

Among some other settlements that were contem¬ 
porary with Taos was Bazette’s Crossing, at which 
point a ferry was operated by an early settler from 
which the ferry took its name. There was no settle¬ 
ment at the location of the ferry but after the 
ferry had been in operation some few years a set¬ 
tlement called Bazette grew up a few miles West of the 


209 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


crossing. Soon it was found that a school and church 
were needed and an old fashioned log rolling was held 
and the house which served as both the seat of educa¬ 
tion and religious worship was built, being replaced a 
few years later by a still better edifice which is still 
known as Prairie Point Church. About 1872 a Mr. El- 
liston built a store and a post office was established 
and called Bazette. Parson Hickman, a Hardshell Bap¬ 
tist preacher, lived there and John Street. Two of the 
early teachers were a Mr. Hook and a Mr. Flowers. 
In the same building services were conducted for the 
Cumberland Presbyterians by the Rev. Modrall; for 
Baptists by Revs. Hines, Puryear, Simmons, Compere, 
Freeman and Mullins. 

This settlement was closely indentified with the 
Westbrook family which lived near here for several 
generations, the Popes, Banks, McCluneys, McFad- 
dens were also early settlers. Middleton Westbrook's 
pasture was known far and near as a sanctuary for 
wild game for many years. 

Early records speak of many herds of cattle going 
from Bazette Crossing to Shreveport and the Bazette 
road was the main road East and West at that time. 

CRYER CREEK 

The settlement of Cryer Creek is located about three 
and one-half miles North of the present town of Barry. 
William Melton is credited with making the first set¬ 
tlement there in the year of 1845. 


210 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Mr. Duren came to Texas and after marrying 
“Uncle Billy” Melton’s daughter, settled in the Cryer 
Creek community. Later the Maggard, Vamell, Wil¬ 
son, Pruitt, Weaver, George and Garlington families 
moved into this community. The Cryer Creek settle¬ 
ment was of considerable importance until the coming 
of the railroad, which drew traffic and trade away 
from it and caused it to suffer some decline as a trade 
and community center but it is still a thriving commun¬ 
ity with stores, a school and church. 

KERENS 

The town of Kerens was laid out in 1881 with the 
coming of the Cotton Belt railroad and was named for 
Judge R. C. Kerens of St. Louis. 

Two railroad attorneys who lived in Corsicana, Sam 
R. Frost and Bryan F. Barry, bought the plat and of¬ 
fered lots for sale in 1881 and 1882. Many settlers 
around Wadeville and surrounding communities bought 
lots and moved to the new community. Among 
the first business men in Kerens were T. S. Daniell, R. 
H. Daniel, W. C. McClung and W. C. Cherry. Within 
a few years these pioneer business men were followed 
by W. S. Price, J. W. Mabry, J. T. Joplin, W. B. Parker, 
G. W. Noble, William Noble, Charles Melear and J. Y. 
Carroll. The town of Kerens grew very rapidly and is 
one of the leading cities in Navarro County. 

As soon as the railroad was completed work was be¬ 
gun on the depot and as the contractors were driving 
stakes for the location of the station, T. S. Daniell, for 


211 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


a Stetson hat, persuaded the engineer to move the 
depot to the West side of Sloss Avenue instead of lo¬ 
cating it on the East side. 

The first newspaper in Kerens was the “Kerens 
Blade,” published by B. H. Davis. 

The town of Kerens was incorporated May 10, 1888, 
with W. P. Noble, mayor; Sam Suggs, marshall; J. W. 
Waters, T. S. Daniell, W. C. McClung, C. K. Melear and 
P. Owen as aldermen. 

The schools of Kerens have always been of great 
concern to the citizens there. Some of the high-point 
students of leading Texas colleges and universities have 
been graduated from Kerens high school. 

The pioneer citizens of Kerens were largely those 
who formerly resided in Wadeville and other of the 
settlements. Professor S. C. Scroggs was a prominent 
early teacher in Kerens. He was educated in Jefferson 
College, Pennsylvania, and married the daughter of 
Ezekiel Cherry, a Kerens pioneer. Other pioneer fami¬ 
lies were those of T. S. and R. H. Daniel, George and 
William Noble, Preston Owens, Doctors McKinney and 
Mays, the Kimes, Prices, Andersons, McClungs, Jones, 
Coats, Melears, Heads, Washburns, Tyus, Carrolls, 
Merrows and McConnicos. 

Kerens has all of the modem city conveniences. It 
is surrounded by good citizens and rich land and is 
about 15 miles East of Corsicana. 

Some of the present leading and official citizens of 
Kerens are Fred Hulan, mayor; aldermen: J. A. Daniel, 


212 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


L. S. Garrett, J. L. Whorton, Earl McClung and Hal C. 
Johnson; P. H. Brister, president of Chamber of Com¬ 
merce; Henry Ross, secretary of Chamber of Com¬ 
merce; Joe N. Everheart, president of Lions Club; J. 
J. Hendricks, superintendent of public schools; G. H. 
Wilemon, principal of high school; A. S. Pritchard, 
principal of grammar school; E. E. Nettles, president 
of Kerens National Bank; W. T. Stockton, president of 
First National Bank; H. C. Bowman, Methodist pastor; 
W. A. Corkern, Baptist pastor; Mrs. Homer Carroll, 
librarian; Mrs. J. B. Coates, president of Pioneer Club; 
Miss Mary F. Weden, president of Music Club; Mrs. R. 
P. Walker, president of Garden Club; J. B. Reese, chair¬ 
man of board of Baptist church; W. B. Talley, chair¬ 
man of board of stewards of Methodist church; R. H. 
Daniel, chairman of board of elders of Presbyterian 
church; Mrs. J. C. Spurger, president of W. M. A., of 
Baptist church; Mrs. W. B. Talley, president of P. T. 
A.; Mrs. A. B. Keen, president of W. M. S., of Metho¬ 
dist church; C. E. Smith, postmaster. 

DAWSON 

The Cotton Belt railroad reached the present site of 
Dawson about the year 1881 and Henry and Dave Daw¬ 
son were living on farms inherited from their father, 
Britton Dawson. The two Dawson brothers donated 
land for a station and right of way and in their honor 
the town was named Dawson. The first dry goods 
store in the new town was operated by J. S. Dickson, 
although Goodman and Younger had opened a "grocery 
store a short time prior to the opening of the Dickson 


213 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


establishment. J. M. Johnson moved his business from 
Spring Hill to Dawson upon the coming of the railroad 
and Joe Shultz entered the grocery and general mer¬ 
chandise business about 1884. 

The first drug store in Dawson was established by 
Dr. W. H. Kirksey. Three of the earliest doctors 
were the aforementioned Doctor Kirksey and Doc¬ 
tors Dean and Holcomb, the latter moving there and 
practicing medicine in the early days. 

The first religious services held in Dawson were con¬ 
ducted in a room in a hotel which served as a church. 
Miss Bell Young organized and taught the first Sunday 
School class in Dawson and J. S. Dickson did his part 
by leading in the singing. The first church building 
erected in Dawson was that of the Cumberland Presby¬ 
terians with J. W. Smith as the first pastor. For sev¬ 
eral years other religious denominations utilized this 
edifice as a place of worship. 

The earliest educational institution in Dawson was 
conducted by a Mr. Westmoreland but the first organ¬ 
ized public school of Dawson was under the direction 
of Professor E. J. L. Wyrick who was a popular teacher. 

Onstott and Clemmons built and operated the first 
gin at Dawson. 

Some of the early settlers in the Dawson community 
were the Lawrence family and the families of 
William Walker, Samuel and William Wright, R. D. 
Bills, the Berry families and the Matthews, Westmore- 


214 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


lands, Wilkes, Gables, Dicksons, Hills, Smiths, Simms 
and Fullertons. 

The population of Dawson has increased to where it 
is now around 1500 people, with an enrollment in the 
public school of over 500. A new $60,000 school build¬ 
ing has taken the place of the old school house and 
there is also a separate school for the colored popula¬ 
tion. 

Those who are interested in historical background 
can find the monument marking the burial place of 
members of the surveying party who were killed by 
the Indians in 1838 about two miles West from town. 

One of the early settlers in the Dawson-Spring Hill 
community was “Uncle” Harve Matthews whose sister 
was the wife of Dr. George Hill, the founder of Spring 
Hill. “Uncle” Harve lived as a bachelor in the home 
which he built until he married Miss Bette Priddy. 
“Uncle” Harve was responsible for the first steel cages 
being put in the Corsicana jail during his term as com¬ 
missioner. 

M. M. Dickson, one of Dawson’s oldest citizens, who 
has lived and worked in Dawson since the town came 
into existence, is still an active and loyal citizen. 

The 1932 officers and members of the Dawson cham¬ 
ber of commerce are as follows: V. T. Matthews, 
president; E. B. Dawson, vice president; H. L. Smith, 
secretary and treasurer. Members: C. M. Newton, J. 
F. Smith, C. O. Weaver, J. F. Simpson, Edgar Davis 
Carlos Berry, J. M. Beasley, J. B. Schwartz, Jim Gar- 


215 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ner, Clyde Sims, Jack Fread, Bennie Matthews, W. Y. 
Cannon, W. M. Nelson, Frank White, N. G. Clark, L. W. 
Edwards, D. E. McKinney, J. R. Graham, J. H. McCul¬ 
lough, J. W. McElroy, M. L. Berry, J. M. Sowell, C. A. 
Willis, J. L. Taylor, Gray Sims, W. W. Wolf, Major 
Davis, J. L. McCulloch, Guy Davis, Jim Davis, D. D. 
Sawyer, J. H. Slaughter, J. L. Turner, C. W. Turner, 
W. P. McMillan, Mike Hogue, Howard Lysles, H. Sil- 
bert, Jerry Berry, Horace Berry, Dr. Williamson, Dr. 
A. B. Worsham, R. B. Rodgers, B. W. Edwards, S. Ber¬ 
ry. 

Ministers of Dawson are F. 0. Waddell, pastor Meth¬ 
odist Church; J. T. Taylor, pastor Baptist Church and 
Jeff Coates, pastor Church of Christ. 

FROST 

About four miles from the present location of Bloom¬ 
ing Grove was an early settlement which was called 
Cross Roads and among the first to settle near here 
was J. A. Tullos in 1868. Colonel Jones settled near 
Cross Roads in 1869 and owned approximately 2500 
acres of land and about 2500 head of horses. Others 
were Barney Gleen, Sam and Nathan Hollingsworth, 
Raleigh Hightower, Bob and Archie Calhoun, Rev. 
Henry Sears, Rev. H. M. McCord, Jim Sears, W. N. 
Haines and Rev. J. G. Way. 

These pioneers soon made their plans for a church 
and school and the first building was erected on the 
Southwest corner of J. G. Way's land in which build- 


216 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ing school was taught for two terms. This building was 
later moved to the McCord community and another 
built near the home now owned by P. 0. Brinson. A 
new Baptist church was built near the school house 
where for several years school was taught by Tom 
Smith, who was later elected county superintendent of 
education. In 1875 this building burned and a new 
building was built at the cross roads, the lower story 
being used for a school and the upper story for a Ma¬ 
sonic Lodge. 

Cross Roads soon became a prosperous village with 
a post office, five stores, a gin, a broom factory, and 
both Baptist and Methodist churches. In 1881 the 
railroad was built from Corsicana to Hillsboro and the 
new station near Cross Roads was called Frost. All of 
the business houses soon moved to the location around 
the railroad station hence the town of Frost, is to an 
extent, an outgrowth of the early village known as 
Cross Roads. 

In 1888 Colonel Henry Jones assisted in establishing 
a school at which Miss Frankie Long was the first 
teacher. This school was called the Henry Jones School 
and was later moved nearer to the center of the dis¬ 
trict where it now stands. 

Wylie N. Jones who came to Navarro County in 1874 
was one of the early settlers of Frost, having owned 
a gin as early as the year 1878 in this community. In 
1890 he completed a system of waterworks to supply 
the town of Frost with water from the adjoining lake 
and on this lake Mr. Jones built a small steamboat 


217 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


which is one of the few ever operated on inland waters 
of Central Texas. 

In 1930 a very disastrous cyclone struck the business 
section of Frost, completely destroying everything in 
its path. Twenty-two people were killed and sixty-odd 
injured. With the usual courage and determination of 
the descendants of the early pioneers the citizens of 
Frost are rebuilding their town and it continues to be 
a thriving and prosperous little Texas city. 

The town of Frost was named in honor of the Honor¬ 
able Sam R. Frost and his father, W. W. Frost. 

Others of the early families who resided in Frost 
were those of R. J. Sanders, J. H. Galbraith and Dr. 
R. Knox. J. H. Taylor operated a drug store in Frost. He 
had the misfortune of being killed by one of the first 
trains which came into the town after the building of 
the railroad. The Sheppard family was also one of the 
pioneer families as were the families of George Smith, 
Sam Hooser and Tom Meador. 

Some others of leading or long-time citizens of Frost 
are Dick Gaines, mayor; councilmen Will Sims and 
Aleck Strain; Ed Dickson, marshal; Rev. Cagle, pas¬ 
tor of Baptist Church; Rev. Haynes, pastor of Meth¬ 
odist Church; J. E. Laney, editor of Frost Enterprise ; 
W. H. Harrison, superintendent of schools; Mr. Mc- 
Micken, principal of schools; Mrs. McMicken, teacher 
of music; Mrs. J. E. Lattimore, teacher of expression; 
J. W. Matlock, president of Frost National Bank; H. 
Arrington, cashier of Frost National Bank; Jerry 


218 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Scott, president of Citizens State Bank; Ben Whaley, 
cashier of Citizens State Bank; Dr. Matlock, Lindsey 
Morgan, lumber; Mrs. Lydia Grimes, Sam Jones, D. K. 
Robinson and wife, Mrs. Mitchell. John Beck was for 
many years one of Frost’s loyal and enterprising citi¬ 
zens. 


BARRY 

The town of Barry is about ten miles West of Corsi¬ 
cana and at this time is a very thriving town with 
churches, schools and modern business establishments. 

Barry takes its name from the fact that it was first 
located on land owned by Bryan T. Barry. The town 
originally was about one mile South of its present loca¬ 
tion, moving North upon the coming of the Cotton Belt 
railroad. 

Some of the early merchants of the old town were 
Sam Taylor, Watson Brothers, E. W. Caldwell, Ross 
and Gibson and T. A. Hutcheson. In addition to these 
merchants some of the early settlers in and around 
Barry were the Woodruffs from Georgia, the Mitchells, 
Varnells, Browns, Scroggins, Wrights, Geo. Williams 
and Hodges families. 

Records indicate that the first school building in 
Barry was a frame house 20 feet by 40 feet in size, and 
Frank Folk, T. A. Thornell and Jim Watson were 
among the early teachers. 

Some of the leading and official citizens of Barry at 
219 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


the present time are: Rev. H. B. Prather, pastor of the 
Baptist Church; Rev. Brice Cox, pastor of Methodist 
Church; J. C. Watson, superintendent of schools; Dr. 
Baugh, physician; R. W. Varnell, dry goods store; Bour- 
land Co., groceries; Jim Carroll, groceries and ice; M. 
Means, druggist; Farmers (Cooperative) Gin. 

Women active in civic and school interests are: Mrs. 
J. C. Watson, president of P. T. A.; Mrs. J. D. Bour- 
land, Mrs. R. A. Varnell (Red Cross); Mrs. L. C. Bos¬ 
well, Mrs. Ben Freeman, Mrs. C. E. Watson, Mrs. H. J. 
Reed, Mrs. Walter Mitchell. 

PURDON 

Among the first settlers around the place which la¬ 
ter became Purdon, were A. J. Tickle, Henry Black, 
Lige Fuller, Mack Hughes, Jim Curry, A. S. Gill, Bil¬ 
lie Woodard, and Wash Cleary. Capt. J. A. Harrison 
moved to Texas and built his home a few miles South 
of Raleigh, and called it Belle Point. He was inter¬ 
ested in the community and aided in building a school 
house, which was of logs and the benches were of split 
logs. E. C. Lee was one of the first teachers. Later a 
comfortable framed house was built and Gov. W. H. 
Murray of Oklahoma was one of the teachers there. 
Belle Point was an important community. The first 
church was Rehobeth, a Baptist church, and which is 
still in service. 

In 1882, the Cotton Belt railroad was built through. 
Town lots were laid out and the town was called Pur- 


220 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


don. The report goes that “Purdom” was the name in¬ 
tended but the mistake in spelling was not corrected, 
and it remains Purdon. The first school in Purdon 
was taught in a seed house by Miss Blanch Maddox. 
This house also served as a church for a time. The 
first store was kept by 0. E. Highsmith, and one of the 
first physicans was Dr. Wyatt. Dr. J. A. Gillean also 
practiced there for awhile. 

Capt. Abel S. Gill of this community was a mem¬ 
ber of the Twentieth Legislature, was president of the 
Farmers Alliance but he did not approve of a Third 
Party. 

Purdon has about four hundred inhabitants, a good 
brick school house, several stores and blacksmith shop, 
a lumber yard and two fine gins. There is a bank and 
post office. 

Dr. Bates lived there many years and, being a lover 
of music and of humanity, he trained classes of chil¬ 
dren to sing, and was popular among his people. 

Some of the present citizens of Purdon, are: C. 0. 
Williams, banker; S. H. French, post master; C. C. Is¬ 
bell, superintendent of schools; W. R. Russel, physi¬ 
cian ; H. C. Russel, lumber. Some other citizens of long 
standing are: the families of J. D. Dowdle, Geo. W. 
Tickle, R. C. Alexander, Lewis Alderman (whose wife 
was a daughter of Owen Wallace), the Skinners and 
Davises, and Frank Johnston. Many other citizens here 
are descendants of those early settlers. 


221 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


RICE* 

Before the present location of Rice was settled by 
white people it was inhabited by the Tehuacana and 
Keechi Indians. This part of the country was on the 
border line between the woodland and the prairie In¬ 
dians and was not a safe place for the headquarters of 
either tribe. The Kickapoos who lived East of the 
Trinity River occasionally made an excursion into this 
part of the country. The Woodland Indians were 
usually friendly, but the prairie Indians were a con¬ 
stant source of annoyance. No settlements were made 
here until long after the Indians were driven into Ok¬ 
lahoma although there were settlements in other parts 
of Navarro County. 

The first settler came here in the Sixties. At this 
time Chatfield and Porter’s Bluff were important plac¬ 
es. Porter’s Bluff was an important shipping point. 
The Trinity River was navigable with flatboats for a 
part of the year. By 1872 there were about a dozen 
settlements within four miles of Rice. Messrs. Burl 
Edmunson, Lucian Lockhart, I. B. Sessions, E. G. Ses¬ 
sions, W. D. Haynie, J. M. Bartlett, Ben Langham and 
Major Rose each owned large farms. 

Cotton was the staple crop then as it has always 
been. A good many cattle and horses were raised. 
Fences were not used. All live stock grazed on the 
open prairie. Prairie grass grew so luxuriantly that 
when a grass fire started it would sometimes sweep 
for miles before it could be checked. These fires were 


♦Written by Grafton Goodwin, a pupil in the Rice schools. 
222 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


stopped by flat-breaking long stretches of land in ad¬ 
vance of the fire. 

The few settlers that lived here did their trading in 
Corsicana. Trips to Corsicana were made in wagons 
or on horse back. The most interesting and spectacu¬ 
lar thing to be seen there was the “Brick” court house. 

In 1872 the H. & T. C. railroad was built through 
here. One of the owners of the railroad, William 
Marsh Rice, for whom this town was named, gave some 
land for a church and cemetery. 

The same year the first business firm of Rice was 
established. L. B. Haynie and B. M. Clopton who were 
in business at Chatfield dissolved partnership as soon 
as the railroad was built and Mr. Haynie came to Rice. 
He went into business with Rev. Jerry Ward. They 
put up a two story wooden structure on the site of the 
Loop and Walker store. A general store was kept in 
the lower story and a hotel in the upper story. Ed 
Taber and wife ran the hotel. Soon afterwards B. M. 
Clopton came to Rice and went into the drug busi¬ 
ness. He built his store just across the street from 
Haynie & Ward. The Rice post office was established 
October 2, 1872, with L. B. Haynie as postmaster. For 
a while Rice was a fairly important trading center but 
in 1875 the Haynie & Ward firm quit business. At 
about the same time their gin burned. Prospects for 
a town here then looked very dark. The post office 
was taken over on November 28, 1875, by William 
Holmes, who owned a small store just across the street 
West of Haynie & Ward. 


223 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


In the summer of 1875 ten of the citizens of Rice 
gave money for the erection of a building which was 
to serve as a church and school house. I. B. Sessions, 
W. D. Haynie, J. A. Ward, L. B. Haynie, J. A. Clopton, 
B. M. Clopton, J. M. Bartlett, W. M. Holmes, E. G. Ses¬ 
sions and Jim Mitchem contributed to the fund. The 
building was constructed on the lot where the First 
Methodist Church now stands. School was taught in 
it on week days and church was held in it on Sunday, 
when there was anyone to preach. Traveling preach¬ 
ers of any denomination were welcomed there. 

Below is given a sketch written by Mrs. J. A. Lack¬ 
ey about the new school: 

“The first Monday in October, 1875, the 
first school ever taught in Rice was opened 
in a new wooden frame building, the first ever 
built in the little new village for that purpose. 
There were few children living in Rice at that 
time, and the school drew its patronage from 
several miles in the country, also some board¬ 
ing pupils from other towns. Our instructor, 

Dr. J. A. Ward, a minister of the Cumberland 
Presbyterian Church, a scholarly gentleman 
with an A.M. degree from a noted university, 
taught forty-five or fifty pupils, little tots of 
seven or eight years to young men twenty- 
two or twenty-three years old until the first 
public school opened in November of the same 
year. Then Mrs. Ward, Dr. Ward's wife, was 
his able assistant. 


224 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


“Some families from the Northern states 
had found homes in this county. Also sever¬ 
al families from Galveston. 

“Town, school house, pupils and teacher 
were all new. That first day was a day in 
which we were somewhat busy getting ac¬ 
quainted and adjusting ourselves to new con¬ 
ditions. 

“Those were days when girls wore calico 
dresses and gingham sunbonnets. They were 
by no means a dull, ignorant class of young 
people. A number of them with their keen 
perception and bright intellects were a joy 
and pride to their teacher. Some of them af¬ 
terwards attended colleges and universities. 
Several of the boys made professional men. 

Dr. Ward inspired his pupils to greater and 
nobler things. He has long since gone to his 
reward, but I am sure his good influence still 
lives/’ 

Mrs. Lackey is the only person now living in Rice 
who attended school on the first day. 

Rice has the distinction of being one of the few 
towns that had never had a saloon. A small amount 
of whiskey was sold in grocery stores until 1876, but 
there was no regular saloon. In 1876 it was made un¬ 
lawful to sell intoxicating liquors within three miles 
of Rice by a petition drawn up by Fletcher Mitch- 
em. A large number of people signed this petition. 


225 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Except for one occasion the increase of population 
in Rice has been very slow and even. In this particu¬ 
lar instance the population of Rice was almost doubled 
in one day. One morning in December, 1877, a train 
stopped here which carried about a hundred new set¬ 
tlers. They came from New York, Pennsylvania and 
New Jersey. They had heard much of the lovely sun¬ 
shine of Texas and were looking for a good place to 
settle. Evidently this was the most inviting spot they 
had seen since they left New York for they stopped 
here. A number of them stayed for the first few days 
at the hotel, which was then being run by Haynie and 
Ward. 

On the morning after their arrival the ground was 
covered with snow. This was a great disappointment 
to them, especially to one young man of a poetic tem¬ 
perament who was among those staying at the hotel. 
Early that morning he walked out on the veranda of 
the hotel to view the landscape. As he pondered weak 
and shivering on that bleak December morn, probably 
thinking of his old home up North, suddenly he burst 
into poetry. He spoke in a desperate and dramatic 
tone that would have put any tragedian to shame: 

“Tell me not in mournful numbers; 

Of this glor-i-i-ious sunny South, 

Verily it doth seem, 

That this is but a dream.” 

Most of the settlers left in a few months. Poets do 
not make good settlers. 


226 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


At this time Rice had two doctors, Dr. McGee and 
Dr. Melton. Dr. McGee came in 1877 and a Dr. Sloan 
also moved to Rice in 1884. 

In 1890 a new school building was constructed at a 
cost of $3,000. Patrons of the school donated enough 
to pay for it in a short while. 

The population of Rice in 1900 was 268. The rural 
districts were much more thickly populated then than 
they are now. One Rice merchant, J. A. Lackey, sold 
ice. There were no refrigerators then and ice was 
bought in very small quantities. It was sold in three 
pound chunks for five cents a chunk. The ice had to 
be shipped from Corsicana by rail. 

In May, 1901, about one-third of the business part of 
Rice was destroyed by fire. Four business houses and 
the ice house were burned. This represented a loss of 
about $12,000. 

In 1898 the first Rice newspaper, the “Rice Enter- 
prise” came into existence. This paper was given up 
after a few months. In August, 1901, the first “Rice 
Rustler” was edited by Clarence Urbin. 

The year 1912 is important for three things in the 
history of Rice. The Dallas-Corsicana division of the 
Texas Electric Railway system was completed that 
year. In the summer the new school building was com¬ 
pleted at a cost of $16,000. On the second day of De¬ 
cember, 1912, an election was held in Rice in which a 
majority of the electors voted to incorporate. Another 


227 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


election was held a short time afterward to elect city 
officials. 

When the United States declared war on Germany in 
April, 1917, a number of young men of Ricelmmediate- 
ly volunteered. They were trained in various camps 
over the state. Two men enlisted in the Navy. Rob¬ 
ert Wasson, who joined the Marine Corps, was the only 
one who failed to come back. During the four Liberty 
Loan drives and the Victory Loan drive $60,000 worth 
of Liberty Bonds and $10,000 worth of War Savings 
Stamps were sold in the banking district including 
Rice, Chatfield and Tupelo. In the third Liberty Loan 
drive this district was the first in Navarro County to 
go “over the top”. 

The Rice post office was advanced from fourth 
class to third class on April 1, 1918. Since Williams 
Holmes became postmaster in 1875, nine persons 
have held that position to date. James W. Norris, J. B. 
Slade, W. H. Todd, R. M. Langham, J. W. Holland, 
Mrs. Verna K. Harper, T. Y. Allen and A. H. Coulter 
have each served as postmaster for from one to twelve 
years. 

On the night of October 1, 1924, occurred the most 
destructive fire in the history of Rice. The fire ori¬ 
ginated in a cafe belonging to Jeff Spencer. The fire 
spread to the barber shop of R. T. Irwin and to the 
grocery store of A. R. Jackson. The cafe was between 
the barber shop and grocery store. The fire caused a 
loss of more than $15,000. 

At present, the population of Rice is 611. The alder- 
228 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


manic form of government is used. The churches'and 
school here are very good for a town of this size. There 
are thirty-three business establishments in Rice. From 
the center of town gravel roads extend for two miles 
in each of four directions. 

CURRIE 

The present settlement of Currie is a blending of two 
communities formerly called Center Point and Rab¬ 
bit Hill. Currie is one town that has the record of 
having undergone a revival in its business life after 
having suffered a temporary set-back. The post office 
at Currie was discontinued once but in 1921 oil caused 
a revival of activity and Currie again took its place as 
a full-fledged town and post office although the oil 
boom, which caused this revival, was not of long dura¬ 
tion. 

Mr. Billington was one of the early settlers of the 
Currie community and his son relates that in 1888 there 
were only two or three farms under fence in the 
entire community. It is an interesting fact that 
while the Billington farm was bought for $12 per acre, 
at one time $150 per acre was offered and refused, but 
now it could not be sold for more than $30 per acre. 

One of the first stores at Currie was operated by Bill 
Lee who sold out to Mr. Williams in 1902, the latter 
gentleman disposing of his establishment to Mr. Phipps 
who, with his son, still operate the business. Currie 
is about half way between Richland and Wortham on 
the railroad and Highway 14. 


229 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


POWELL 

Before the coming of the Cotton Belt railroad the 
country where Powell now stands was principally cat¬ 
tle range. Mr. Powell owned several hundred acres, 
as did the DeArmans, Baltzegars, Burks and Jack- 
sons. Capt. W. J. Towns owned several hundred 
acres West of where the railroad station now 
stands. In the days when the Indian roamed 
the “hog-wallow” black land a Buffalo trail ran 
through Capt. Town’s land, and led on to a crossing of 
Chambers Creek, where hundreds of buffalo regularly 
forded the creek. Sam and Trav. Brooks and Judge 
Miles owned several hundreds of acres in this vicinity. 

Powell was named for the pioneer landowner on 
whose land the station was originally located; however, 
the depot was moved half mile further East to the farm 
of a Mr. Ward when the railroad company changed the 
location of the right-of-way to lessen the grade of the 
tracks. Within a short time after the station was lo¬ 
cated on Mr. Ward’s land he stepped in front of a train 
and was killed. 

Upon the coming of the railroad ranches were cut up 
and sold as farms, the land was drained, schools, 
churches, stores and business houses established and 
soon the town of Powell became a thriving center. The 
great Powell oil field was discovered by the bringing 
in of an oil well drilled by H. W. Warren, who was 
reared in this community. For a time this was one 
of the outstanding petroleum fields in America. 

For months the drilling of that first well went on. 

230 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The public lost interest, but Henry Warren and his 
associate, R. K. Blackshear, kept on, often delayed by 
lack of funds and with other hindrances. Finally the 
well “came in”. Men and money poured in. Powell 
became the center of as great oil excitement as any 
place has known. 

One well, near the discovery well, came in and for 
some time ran wild. In the effort to divert the oil in¬ 
to the desired channel, a great disaster was precipitat¬ 
ed. 

A crowd had collected to see the wonderful sight of 
a great cloud of black oil flowing high above the sur¬ 
rounding trees in Chambers’ Creek bottom. There were 
at the time twelve or more men on the platform, some 
working, some watching. Suddenly there was a flash, 
and those men were hidden in a cloud of smoke and 
raging fire which enveloped the pool of oil and the 
gas which surrounded the well. For several days, the 
fire raged, visible at night for twenty miles. When 
finally it was quenched, nothing remained of those men 
except a few charred bones. 

Powell shared in the excitement of the first shallow 
wells, so the “deep” fields helped to give that town a 
name which will remain in the history of oil in Texas. 

T. G. Towns has been station master at Powell 
for more than thirty years and among the other fami¬ 
lies of prominence who now live at Powell are those of 
the Jacksons, Miles, Christians, Lonons, Adams, Kill- 
ingsworths, Ellets, Johnstons, Austins, Banks, Fergu- 


231 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sons, Ritchies, Newmans, Hanks, Kenners, Prices and 
Wares. 


MILDRED ON T. & B. V. R. R. 

During the oil boom in recent years Mildred became 
a very prominent town. With the finding of oil, ware¬ 
houses and shops of all kinds went up overnight and 
for a few years the inhabitants of Mildred experienced 
some of the excitement of a metropolis but the oil 
boom was destined to play out and Mildred resumed its 
normal existence once more but with a difference— 
some of its inhabitants had become enriched and mov¬ 
ed away while others stayed. A splendid new high 
school and other improvements remain as evidence of 
the oil boom. 

Some of the early settlers of Mildred were the Gar¬ 
vins, Harrisons, Wrights and the John Ellis family. 

WINKLER 

One of the early towns in Navarro County was Wink¬ 
ler, so named in honor of Judge C. M. Winkler, which 
is situated in the Southeastern part of the county 
near the Trinity River. For many years Winkler 
was a thriving place with a post office, stores, black¬ 
smith shops, churches, schools and many families of 
good standing, among them John and Tom Rouse, the 
Bonhams, McConnicos, Newmans, Shumates, Lees, Pil- 
lans, Andersons and Sweatmons. 

Joseph P. Anderson, who was a school teacher, and 
farmed also near Winkler, was the son-in-law of Shade 


232 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Sweatmon. W. P. Anderson was one of the first mer¬ 
chants in Winkler. 

When the railroad came Winkler was left to one side 
and is now only a village with a historic and ro¬ 
mantic past. Some of Winkler’s present citizens are: 
D. W. Clark, W. D. Anderson, C. C. Jeffries, Kit Greg¬ 
ory, J. R. Ferguson, F. L. Lee, J. C. Hagler, E. V. Bing¬ 
ham, Bud Olson. 

COOK’S SCHOOL HOUSE AND CORBET 

Cook’s School House takes the name from Col. 
Cook who came to Navarro County at an early date. In 
1866 he moved to a farm about six miles West of Corsi¬ 
cana and gave the land for a school and assisted in get¬ 
ting a building erected. In his honor it was named 
Cook’s School House. The community still goes by the 
same name although the building has been torn 
down due to a consolidation of school districts and 
nothing remains of the early school house except a 
memory. The Corbet school is the descendant of that 
school. 

P. K. Montgomery came to Navarro County shortly 
after the Civil War, after having graduated from 
school in Oakland, Mississippi, and in 1868 he married 
the daughter of Col. Cook. In the Cook home on 
the hill northeast of the school site Navarro County’s 
outstanding poet, Whitney Montgomery, was bom. He 
is famous for several volumes of poetry possessing 
much literary merit and for the tremendous interest he 
has shown in cultural advancement of the Southwest. 


283 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


This old home was torn away some few years ago 
and in its place a tenant house was built. Of all the 
homes in the old Cook’s School House communi¬ 
ty of fifty years ago only two remain, the old Weaver 
home and the Wallace home. The Love family, which 
consisted of J. R. Love and wife and eleven children, 
were among the early settlers. It is interesting to note 
that all eleven children are still living, the youngest 
being past fifty years of age. Jeremiah Crabbe was 
one of Navarro County’s early settlers, having located 
near the Cook’s School House community. Some of the 
other early settlers around Cook’s School House com¬ 
munity were Richard Weaver, the Stanley, Marshall, 
Ballew, Willis, Woodward, Wallace and Waters fami¬ 
lies. There was a log school house located on the Wea¬ 
ver farm and Mr. Ballew taught a subscription school 
here for some time. Miss Mary Love also taught school 
in this old log house after her brother, J. R. Love, mov¬ 
ed to the community in 1872. Miss Nora Goodjohn 
also taught at the Cook’s School House for a while. 
Among the other families whose children attended 
school at Cook’s School House were those of T. W. Car- 
penter, the Smiths, Lees, Rosses, Bryants, Middletons, 
and the Rev. Grantham, Gid Taylors, Melvin Weavers, 
and Billie Weeks. 

Col. Henry Jones operated a saw mill, and lumber 
from this mill was used in several early homes in Cor¬ 
sicana, among them the Halbert’s home. Many years 
later a Mr. Mead operated a saw mill near Cook’s 
School House and in addition to operating a saw mill 
was a skilled cabinet maker. 


284 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


With the coming of the railroad, a station was built 
in this community. It was called Corbet. Corbet is 
just North of the confluence of Richland and Rush 
creeks. It is surrounded by good land and formerly by 
many beautiful trees. Just South of Corbet was the 
plantation home of Col. Henry Jones. His home stood 
on a hill surrounded by trees and under these trees was 
the scene of a beautiful wedding of long ago when R. Q. 
Mills took as his bride Caroline Jones. A reminder of 
the plantation days is the little spot in the woods which 
is pointed out as the slaves’ graveyard. 

Corbet is a live community with a store, gin, church 
and school. 

The railroad station was first called Waters as it 
was built on the land of Watt Waters. Later the name 
was changed to Corbet. Members of the Waters fam¬ 
ily still live in the community, his daughter, Mrs. 
Meigh Owen, and her family among them. 

Some of the present prominent families are the Jim 
Nokes, the Roman families, that of Jim Dubose, Mrs. 
Hanks, the Sloans, Rosses, Tuckers, Burnets, Lakes 
and Bayless. 


RETREAT 

The community known as Retreat was first called 
Beeman’s School House. In the early days of Na¬ 
varro County this community was settled by the Bee- 
mans, Hamiltons, Picketts, Bishops, Highnotes, Pettys, 
Hammonds, Hodges, McElwees, Clarkes, White, Mar- 


235 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


tins, Comperes, Simmons and Asa Littles. The school 
house was located on the Beeman land and it was also 
used as a church by various denominations on Sunday. 
For a long time the old log school house was the only 
church or school near Corsicana to the Southwest. This 
building was moved, due to shifting of population, two 
or three miles Southwest of its original location and 
was later moved back across Harris Branch. Due to 
these frequent moves someone suggested that the name 
Retreat would be apropos and this designation has 
been used until this day. 

As the population increased other churches were 
built by different denominations and the once intact 
community scattered. 

The Cumberland Presbyterians held a meeting at 
the Beeman School House under the direction of the 
Rev. Cunningham, organized a Cumberland Presby¬ 
terian congregation, and on land donated by Sam Ham¬ 
ilton a church was erected and called Goshen. 

This church for a time was used by the Pleasant 
Grove congregation also until its church was built. 

Camp meetings, and protracted meetings, were for 
years, held at Goshen, and attended by members of all 
denominations, from Angus, from Cook’s School House 
and from Retreat and Corsicana. But Goshen has 
passed into history, and only the memory of those 
days, lingers in the minds of those who were part of 
those congregations. 


236 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


PLEASANT GROVE 

The Pleasant Grove Church was built about fifty 
years ago. Among the first to preach there was the 
father of James Ferguson, one of the Ex-Governors of 
Texas. M. K. Little was one of the early pastors. 
Among the members of that early church, were the 
Swearingens, F. M. Storys, Megaritys, J. D. Hamil- 
tons. Youngs, Joel Garners, M. M. Dicksons, Ramseys, 
Holloways, Allsbrooks, Stovers, Littles, and McBrides. 

PETTY'S CHAPEL 

The earliest recorded history of Petty's Chapel begins 
with a camp meeting held by the Cumberland Presby¬ 
terians in 1852 on the North bank of Chambers Creek. 
People from all over the county attended. This camp 
meeting lasted for ten to fourteen days and was at¬ 
tended by members of all denominations. People came 
in buggies, wagons, on horseback and on foot great dis¬ 
tances and this location attained its importance from 
having been centrally located to many of the early set¬ 
tlements. 

Meador's School was located on the old 0. J. Meador 
farm and was operated as a pay school beginning about 
the year 1870. After four or five years a second school 
was located slightly to the Southeast on land given by 
G. V. Petty and it was from this Mr. Petty that Petty's 
Chapel took its name. 

Originally it was necessary to cross Chambers 
Creek on a ferry boat and both ferry boat and the 
store at the crossing were operated by Jim Petty. He 


237 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sold this business to Mr. Hogan, who will be remember¬ 
ed from previous chapters as the man who built the 
first bridge over Chambers Creek. 

The first church at Petty’s Chapel was a Methodist 
church built on the R. Q. Mills place about 1885. The 
first pastor of this church was Andrew Davis who was 
the father of B. L. Davis, a prominent lawyer now liv¬ 
ing in Corsicana. Rev. Andrew Davis preached over 
the county at other places—was consecrated and loved 
by his congregations. After about seven years mem¬ 
bership was transferred from Petty’s Chapel to Zion 
Rest. About 1890 land was donated to the Bap¬ 
tist denomination for a church by Mr. Duren and this 
church was built as it now stands. The first pastor 
was Rev. Beasley. 

On the J. L. Walton land near Petty’s Chapel, oil 
wells were drilled in the year 1894. Of the forty-nine 
wells drilled, forty-two are still pumping oil, including 
the discovery well. 

One of the first fields of wheat in the entire Navarro 
County was planted at Petty’s Chapel by J. C. Blanken¬ 
ship and P. McCammon in 1873 and was threshed with 
a machine operated by horsepower. 

Petty’s Chapel was the scene of many gatherings of 
old, such as fairs and horse races and one of the horses 
which competed was ‘‘Charlie M”, a cow pony that was 
trained into being a fine track horse and named for 
Charlie Huskey from whom the horse was bought. 
When this horse died in 1899 its owner, Mr. Mitten, 


238 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


erected in its honor a large stone monument which still 
stands on the South side of the road near the creek. 

ROANE 

There was a small log school house located about 
eight miles northeast of Corsicana which was former¬ 
ly called Post Oak School. Beginning about the year 
1866 Rev. Leek, who lived at Chatfield, occasionally 
preached at this little log school house. As families mov¬ 
ed into the vicinity the Rev. Leek organized a Baptist 
church at this point and his congregation was made 
up of the Beasley family, which moved into the com¬ 
munity as early as 1840, as well as the Conners who 
settled in this district about the year 1855. Joe and 
Ben Bragg and the Rascoe and Cohagen families also 
lived in this community. 

Among the early settlers who located around Post 
Oak School were the Burke family and the families of 
the Beasleys, Braggs, Connors, Ellis, and Fraziers. 
Settling of the community increased until, in about 
1891, members of the community decided they needed 
a post office. Various names were offered but the 
name Roane, as suggested by Will Holland, was 
adopted and thus the town of Roane originally known 
as Post Oak School became permanent. 

One of the first teachers in the Post Oak School was 
Professor Flint, who was followed some time later by 
Professor Johnson. Other educators who taught in 
Roane were Profs. Ellison, Huggins and Homer Carroll. 

239 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The first store and post office in Roane was run by 
Mr. Cohagen. Jim Estes and his two sons moved from 
Bazette and opened a store some two years later and 
the post office was moved to their establishment. The 
Estes family still operates the store in Roane although 
the post office is in the Curry store. 

Mr. Master is credited with being the first to build 
a cotton gin and in 1896 a telephone exchange was built 
with Miss Annie Ficklin as the first operator. 

Among the old homes which have a romantic past 
is the old Beasley home and springs, about two 
miles West of Roane. This historical landmark was 
familiar to travelers in the early days of the county 
and many a travel-worn immigrant stopped here for 
fresh water and a few hours’ rest. 

Before the post office was located mail was distri¬ 
buted from the old Bragg home which was a short 
distance West of the Beasley home mentioned above. 

Ben and Joseph Bragg married sisters who were 
daughters of the Beasleys. Years later, Will, son of 
the Connors, married Miss Mary Ella Burke. 

Two of the good neighbors of the community who 
did much to make life more pleasant during the early 
days of Roane were Mrs. Shade Conner and Mrs. Sallie 
Frazier who visited the sick and prescribed for them 
and helped to nurse them. 

The Roane community has long been known for its 
hospitality and the residents of the community are sol- 


240 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


id people whose ancestors helped to carve homes and 
farms out of the virgin prairie. The old time pioneer 
home with its wood pile in the front yard, water bucket 
with a gourd handle projecting, wash basin and roller 
towel and shelf on the front porch were familiar sights. 
Saddles and bridles were also a part of the porch fur¬ 
niture and the latch string hung out to all friends. 

EMHOUSE 

The town of Emhouse has grown from several sur¬ 
rounding communities, among them being Kelm and 
King Willow. King Willow was about six miles East 
of Kelm, which was about three miles West of Em¬ 
house. G. G. Owen was postmaster at Kelm. The 
first name given to Emhouse was Lyford but when 
it was discovered there was a town by this name in 
Texas already, it was seen that no post office would 
be granted under this designation so the name of Em¬ 
house was then chosen. Emhouse takes its name from 
Col. E. M. House, who was superintendent of the 
Brazos Valley railroad at the time the post office was 
petitioned for. 

The original Kelm settlement was made by T. R. 
Kelm in 1854. Mr. Kelm was a stockman and farmer 
and owned several slaves. Charles Lockhart, who own¬ 
ed twenty slaves, also settled nearby and farmed in 
the Kelm community. At this time there were no 
schools and private teachers were brought in by some 
families. The Lockharts had a governess or tutor. 

From 1854 to 1880 several men moved into the Kelm 
241 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


community, among whom were James Bailey, W. W. 
Williams, Tom Vyers, Jim Childress, Willis Rich¬ 
ards, Van de Water, W. Tinkle and John and 
Tom Allen. John Maggard moved fnto the settlement 
in 1876, followed by Charles Brannon, a Mr. Myles, J. 
W. Sharpley, C. W. DeRusha and T. T. Reid. Chas. De- 
Lafosse settled there in 1879 and was followed some 
years later by E. M. Way and Henry Cook. By 
1890 school houses and churches were built and the 
community became thickly populated. 

The churches were moved from King Willow and 
Kelm and rebuilt in Emhouse. A school, a bank, stores 
and an artesian well were soon added; also a lumber 
yard. A concrete highway now serves this community. 

In 1915 the town was incorporated under the com¬ 
mission form of government with J. M. Parrish, mayor, 
and V. H. Holmes and G. G. Owens, commissioners. 

Emhouse is about ten miles Northwest of Corsicana 
and has the highest elevation of any town be¬ 
tween the upper reaches of the Trinity River and 
Houston and is the center of a very thriving agricul¬ 
tural community. 


PINKSTON 

The first business establishment which belongs prop¬ 
erly to Pinkston was a store operated by Calvin Hen¬ 
derson. Later a gin was built which was owned by 
D. K. McCammon, Tom Garwood and Arthur Huskin- 
son. Pinkston was so named for Lucien Pinkston, a 
railroad man. 


242 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Among the early settlers in the Pinkston commun¬ 
ity were the Caldwell, Hunter and Lynch families. 

Pinkston was established as a post office about the 
year 1892. It is a few miles East of Barry in the black 
prairie land district. 


EUREKA 

In the Fifties, a short way South of the present town 
of Eureka was the early location of a log school house 
which was called Dunn’s School House. Some years 
later at a grange meeting held in the school house 
the need for a post office was brought up and the 
name of Eureka suggested. The post office was se¬ 
cured and located in the home of P. Anderson. Soon 
a settlement grew up around the Eureka post office. 
In addition to the teacher who taught in Dunn’s 
School House, Isaac Bird, some other early residents 
were Ed Drane, M. H. Bird, Robert Walker, R. B. Mc¬ 
Carters, James Dunn, for whom the school was named, 
the Patton families, Jim Jones, Elisha Anderson, and 
his son, P. Anderson, mentioned above as the first post¬ 
master, the Davidsons and the Montgomerys. 

The Dave Johnstons, whose ancestors came from Ire¬ 
land, also lived in this vicinity. S. S. Johnston married 
Miss Lily Pulliam and for many years lived in Corsi¬ 
cana. 

Dr. J. M. V. Wills lived in this community be¬ 
fore coming to Corsicana and Dr. Selman, who liv¬ 
ed near Wadeville, extended his practice to include 


243 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Eureka, as did Dr. Ben Blackmon. The Kent family 
came to Eureka about 1875. Until his death in 1930, 
Dr. James Hamilton was physician for the Eureka 
community. Some of the present citizens, J. H. Bon¬ 
ner, A. M. and J. C. Boyd, J. A. Stewart, Mattie Gann, 
the Johnstons, B. R. Bonner, J. A. Brown, W. C. Mont¬ 
gomery, F. V. and J. W. Full wood, B. A. Robinson and 
the Hamilton family. Highway 22 now runs through 
Eureka. 

The Blackmons in Navarro County were early set¬ 
tlers. Dr. B. F. Blackmon came to Texas in 1853 and 
lived at first near Fairfield. He devoted much of his 
time to stock raising and farming. 

He served during the Civil War, afterward he lived 
in Navarro County near Eureka, having moved to this 
county in 1850. In 1874 he was elected to represent 
his county in the State Legislature. He was popular 
and loved by his fellow citizens. He died in 1888. 
His two sons, John T. Blackmon and Walter J. Black¬ 
mon, have continued to live in Navarro County. Walter 
J. Blackmon married Miss Fannie D. Johnston, No¬ 
vember 7, 1867, and John T. married Miss Mary H., 
daughter of Robt. Greenlee and wife. 

NAVARRO 

The settlement called Navarro several miles west of 
Eureka came from an early community designated as 
Hopewell, taking its name from the Baptist church. 
The first store was operated by Mr. Re and when the 


244 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


T. & B. V. railroad was built in 1907 a station called 
Navarro was located about ten miles south of Corsi¬ 
cana and became a prosperous community upon the 
opening of the Powell-Mildred oil field. 

Some of the early families were the Lovetts, 
Boyds, Garlics, Puryears, Bressies, McClures, Dur- 
hams, Thomases, Stroders and Foutys. 

Navarro is still a progressive town. Some of the 
citizens of the present who have lived there for many 
years are the families of H. D. Smith, E. H. Harvard, 
S. F. Harvard, Wade Harvard, Robert Tatum, Tom 
Jones, T. M. Fouty and P. Goodin. 

Some of the business men and women are H. D. 
Smith, grocer; Robert Marsh, grocer; Mrs. A. B. 
Marsh, postmistress; Tom Nash, confectioner; Rev. 
Henry, pastor of Baptist Church; Mrs. Chas. Collins, 
leader of W. M. U.; W. B. Middlebrook, ginner; Mrs. 
0. E. Cowsor, president of P. T. A.; and Miss Mont¬ 
gomery, president of Study Club. 

RODNEY 

There was an early settlement in Navarro County 
located on Pin Oak Creek called Rodney. It was about 
eight miles Southeast of the present town of Dawson. 
The first postmaster at Rodney was Mr. Payne, the 
post office being located in his residence. The school 
house nearby was known as Patterson’s School House. 
Some of the early settlers of the Rodney community 


245 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


were the above Mr. Payne and the Graham, Williams 
and Trent families. 

Patterson's School House was moved after some 
years and about 1884 a Mr. McClintock built a store one 
and one-half miles southeast of the Payne home and 
operated it until disposing of his business to Tom 
Stone. 

Joshua Graham received his farm as a bonus for hav¬ 
ing fought in the Texas Revolution, receiving a league 
and a labor of land for his services. A romance that 
would follow the conventional moving picture style was 
true of Joshua Graham and Miss Matilda Clemmons. 
The Graham and Clemmons families met enroute to 
Texas when Joshua and Matilda fell in love with each 
other and were married by a Mexican Alcalde in 1834. 
James Graham, Jr., one of the descendants, still lives 
in Dawson and owns land inherited from his father and 
grandfather. This community is called Eldorado—and 
is Southeast of Dawson. 

The Williams and Patterson families in 1882 owned 
13,000 acres of land, which since has been divided into 
farms. J. Frank Williams, now of Corsicana, is a son 
of the family of that name. 

BRUSHY PRAIRIE 

The community a few miles Northwest of Dawson 
was referred to by the appellation of “Brushy Prairie,” 
so called because of the bunches of cedar elm trees 
which dotted the prairie landscape. 


246 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 

Brushy Prairie was at one time quite a thriving com¬ 
munity with a church, a gin, a store and a blacksmith 
shop. 

Possibly the greatest claim which Brushy Prairie 
has to prominence is that it was the home of the French 
family, one of the members of which was “Uncle John” 
whose column in the leading semi-weekly paper was a 
well known feature for years. 

Others of the early settlers in and around Brushy 
Prairie were the A. M. Pruitt, T. S. Slater, Frank 
Johnston, Frank and Joe Hagle and Terry families. 

EMMETT 

A community called Emmett developed on the ex¬ 
treme Western edge of Navarro County and had a 
general store, church, gin, blacksmith shop and post 
office. 

This little community thrived as an inland village 
until the Cotton Belt railroad came through in 1881, 
leaving Emmett “off the beaten path”, whereupon the 
business houses closed up and the owners moved away 
until today Emmett is only a rural community peopled 
by sterling citizens. 

Two of the early families who might be mentioned 
as having helped in the development of Emmett were 
the Osburns and Goodmans. 

ANGUS 

The beginning of the town of Angus dates back to a 
switch track on the railroad erected in order that Capt. 


247 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


A. Angus might load hay which was shipped up 
and down the new railroad to feed the contractors’ 
teams. Capt. Angus had the first hay press in this 
part of Texas. He was formerly chief clerk to Mr. 
Quinlan, vice president of the H. & T. C. railroad, 
previously having been terminal agent and advancing 
as the railroad came northward in 1871-72 from Hous¬ 
ton. Capt. Angus lived in Corsicana many years and 
his family was reared here. 

One of the early settlers in the Angus community 
was John Carr who was a brother-in-law of “Uncle 
Jimmie” Kerr. At this time only a few families lived 
between Pisgah Ridge and Corsicana, among them the 
Powells, Williamsons, Tatums, Pettys and Storys. 

Cattle and stock raising was originally the means of 
livelihood of the residents of this community and cot¬ 
ton and grain cultivation began at a later date. There 
was very little land in cultivation or fenced until after 
the coming of barbed wire, what fences there were be¬ 
ing made of rails. Barbed wire was introduced to this 
part of Texas by John W. Gates and with its introduc¬ 
tion farming increased. 

The railroad came to Angus in 1871 and immediate¬ 
ly the community began to settle around the station 
and by 1874 there was a school under the tutelage of 
Miss Lila Blackmon. This school building was moved 
from time to time. The present Angus school is an at¬ 
tractive brick building which was built in 1921. 

The first church at Angus was called Storey’s Cha- 
248 



Captain and Mrs. A. Angus, for whom the town of Angus was named, and 
who were citizens of Corsicana for many years. Throughout their lives these 
early citizens of the county did much toward its development. 






























TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


pel, built in 1872 about one mile from where it now 
stands. Five of the early pastors in the church were 
Revs. Groves, Stepp, Thomson and King. 

Some of the early settlers in Angus were the Stor¬ 
eys, Pughs, Lattas, Whites, Meadors, Dunns, Peacocks, 
Powells, Campbells, Soapes, Tiltons, Stewarts, High- 
notes and Knotts. 

The first physician in Angus was Dr. Dave Black¬ 
mon and the first gin was owned by another member 
of the Blackmon family. 

The names of the Angus postmasters in order of 
their service are as follow: P. P. Powell, Thomas 
Soape, Lee Stewart, Thomas Soape again and the pres¬ 
ent postmaster, Thomas Ware. 

The Kent-Middleton Refinery was erected in Angus 
about 1908 and in 1931 is still in operation under the 
superintendance of Herbert Soape. 

In the early days the territory south of Angus along 
Pisgah Ridge was the habitat of a group of the most 
notorious cattle rustlers in central Texas. The Edens 
family lead in trying to get positive evidence of their 
malefactions and exterminate these cattle rustlers. 
Due to the great number of cattle roaming the unfenc¬ 
ed plains it was difficult to get actual proof of their 
cattle rustling. Until they were caught with some 
of the hides and heads from several muley cows, 
which were known to have belonged to Capt. 
Angus, positive evidence had not been secured. But 


249 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


upon finding this evidence, when they were caught red- 
handed, they were either killed or driven from the 
country, never to return. 

Jesse Pugh was one of the early settlers in the com¬ 
munity which is now Pleasant Grove. His two sons 
married daughters of Daniel Story, and for many 
years lived near Angus. A daughter of Jesse Pugh 
married Thomas Soape, and they also lived most of 
their lives in Angus. Many descendants of these fam¬ 
ilies are now citizens of Navarro County. 

POPULAR NAVARRO COMMUNITIES 

There are several thriving communities in Navarro 
County which have been the outgrowth of settlements 
made at favorable points through the years. 

There are two communities in the Southeastern 
part of the county known as Round Prairie and 
Long Prairie which have merged into a unit 
since the consolidated school was located about half 
way between them. There is no post office to serve 
this community but there are stores and gins and the 
excellent soil and a good citizenry make this one of 
the substantial parts of Navarro County. 

For many years picnics and various kinds of public 
gatherings have been held at Alligator School House 
and along the banks of Alligator Creek. Many of the 
pioneer settlers of Navarro County are buried in the 
cemetery which is near the school house and church. 

250 


TOWNS OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Among other prosperous communities in the county 
having stores, gins, schools and churches are Black 
Hills, Farmers, Buffalo, Cade, Birdston, Montfort, 
Picket, Eldorado, Jester, St. Elmo, White's Chapel, 
Drane, Hester, Tupelo, Pursley, Brown's Valley, Neil’s 
Valley and Rushing. 



251 









CHAPTER VIII 


Pioneer Families 

I T would be impossible to enumerate and cover in de¬ 
tail all of the many pioneer families who helped to 
make Navarro County the thriving, pleasant and 
liveable community which it is at the present time. 
So only a few of the representative families of the dif¬ 
ferent periods of the county’s history may be given. 

Thomas I. Smith was among the first settlers of Cor¬ 
sicana and donated to the Baptist, Cumberland Presby¬ 
terian and Methodist churches a half block of land each 
which was to be used in erecting houses of worship. 
Cumberland Presbyterians built on their lot first after 
having used the old academy and court house for two 
or three years. Funds were subscribed by all the de¬ 
nominations with the understanding that the church 
was to be used alternately and the Sunday School was 
to be attended by all faiths. This arrangement work¬ 
ed out to the satisfaction of all concerned, and when 
the Civil War came on sewing and knitting was done 
here for the soldiers. 

Thos. I. Smith came to Navarro County the year be¬ 
fore it was organized and later married Mary Louisa 
Neil, a widowed daughter of J. L. Bartlett who made 


252 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


his home at Taos for some years. A little son of 
Thomas I. Smith, who died, was buried just north of 
the school, on what is now First Avenue in Corsicana 
and his grave has been located by William Elliott, 
county surveyor. 

Thos I. Smith was a Texas Ranger in command of a 
company and helped to protect the frontier from 
Indians and also helped survey many of the tracts of 
land in Navarro County. He died in Austin and Mrs. 
Smith later married C. M. Winkler, a young lawyer of 
Corsicana. Two daughters were born of this latter 
union, one of whom became the wife of Judge Sam R. 
Frost. 

Daniel Story moved to Texas and bought land near 
Corsicana in 1845. His tract of land extended from the 
vicinity of Pleasant Grove almost to the brick yards. 
For some years he lived near where Edgar Young's 
home now stands, later buying a farm near Angus and 
remaining there until his death. He and his wife reared 
a large family of sons and daughters. Many of 
their descendants still live in Navarro County. 

The widow Hamilton and her family of five sons 
and two daughters came to Navarro County in 1846. 
Until they could find a suitable location they camped 
in the yard of Harvey Beeman and one morning Wil¬ 
liam, the eldest son, rode a horse to water in the Bee- 
man pasture. Upon reaching the tall grass around the 
creek, a bear rose up, frightened the horse, which 
threw William Hamilton and broke his leg. From this 
accident he limped the remainder of his life. The 


253 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Story and Hamilton families intermarried and these 
two families are intertwined into much of the early 
history of Navarro County. The Hamilton farm was 
a few miles Southwest of town, and is still owned by 
members of that family. 

Clinton McKamy Winkler, born in North Carolina in 
1820, came to Navarro County to live in 1847, and made 
his home at the McKinney Inn. In 1848 he was married 
to Mrs. Mary Louisa Smith, widow of Thos. I. Smith. 
He was elected as a member of the Second Legislature 
of Texas and assisted in organization of Navarro Coun¬ 
ty. He served in the Civil War, was promoted for 
bravery and service. Returning to Navarro County 
he became Judge of the 13th District in 1866, and in 
1876, was a judge in the Court of Appeals. Judge 
Winkler was a Mason and a member of the Methodist 
Episcopal church. His wife died in 1861, and in 1864, 
he was married to Miss Angelina V. Smith. He was 
the father of three children by his first wife, and six 
by his second. Judge Winkler was a successful and dis¬ 
tinguished lawyer, vital in his acceptance of life’s vi¬ 
cissitudes. 

Judge Winkler died in 1882, and his body was buried 
in Oakwood, a part of the original one hundred acres 
deeded to the city. 

John R. Ransom arrived in Navarro County about 
1862, making his home near Chatfield for a while. He 
engaged in stock raising and farming until he moved 
to Corsicana during his later years. Here his family 
of eight children grew up, two of his sons, S. M. and 


254 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


William A. being in business in Corsicana for many 
years. The Ransom grocery business in Corsicana for 
forty years is still represented by members of that 
family and name. 

Judge Walton came to Corsicana in 1866, living the 
remainder of his life here. He was elected justice of 
the peace in 1878 and the records indicate that he per¬ 
formed almost one thousand marriages. His son, 
Charles C. Walton, who is a stockman and farmer, still 
resides in Corsicana. 

R. N. White, from Alabama, settled first near Wm. 
R. Howe, later moving to Corsicana to become first 
county clerk. Cyrus, his son, is said to have been the 
first white child born in what is now Corsicana al¬ 
though the son of W. F. Henderson, surveyor and In¬ 
dian fighter, was born here about the same time. Fifth 
Avenue was originally called White Street in honor of 
Mr. White. He was county clerk for eight years, as¬ 
sisted in securing a railroad for Corsicana, and later 
was a member of the shoe firm of Bates and White. 

Chas. H. Allyn came to Texas in 1868, the same year 
he had married Miss Angela Aldritch. He engaged in 
the mercantile business and besides being engaged in 
many other developments in Corsicana in the succeed¬ 
ing years—he was deeply interested in the schools, 
library and Orphan’s Home. Many remember his 
kindness and sympathy to those who were struggling 
to better their condition. His wife and two daughters, 
Mrs. Harry Johnson and Mrs. R. L. Hamilton live in 
Corsicana. 


255 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


William Bright, an early resident of Kentucky, set¬ 
tled Southeast of Corsicana and married Miss Eleanor 
Crabb Drane. His son, J. M. Bright, married Miss Jane 
Storey in 1855. He operated a store on what is now 
Second Avenue and Thirteenth Street, carrying a full 
line of general merchandise. His home was about two 
blocks away in a beautiful grove of oaks, some of which 
are still standing. This house was moved to First Ave¬ 
nue and Eighteenth Street where it stands today. His 
children were Alice, Florence, Elizabeth and Thomas. 

Mrs. Elizabeth Story, a widow, moved to Corsicana 
in 1851. In addition to two boys, Harry and William 
Preston, who never married, she had two daughters, 
Elvira, who became Mrs. John McCuiston, and Cle¬ 
mentine, who married Jubilee McKinney. 

Among the early settlers in Corsicana was William 
Croft who began practicing law in 1850. Some of the 
early residents remember Mr. Croft and recall his hav¬ 
ing mentioned the fact that one of the few cases tried 
at the first term of court at Corsicana was a charge 
against a young man for stealing a bridle at a camp 
meeting. Fortunately for the young man the case was 
dismissed. 

Attorney Croft first married Miss Roxana Eliot, 
daughter of Col. Jacob Eliot, but she lived only a 
few months after their wedding and Mr. Croft later 
married Miss Rebecca Lockhart. Mr. Croft lived for 
years at the corner of Fifth Avenue and Twelfth Street 
where the W. E. Pugh home is now located. When it 
was built, the Croft home was one of the best in town. 


256 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


In fifty years of legal practice Judge Croft left be¬ 
hind the reputation of rarely losing a case, fighting 
them through the courts until they were finally decid¬ 
ed in favor of his clients. 

Adam Byars has the credit of being the first mer¬ 
chant in Corsicana. He hauled his stock of goods 
overland from Houston. In 1859 he moved to Mount 
Pisgah, bought a tract of farm land and on it erected 
a store. This store was the beginning of Richland al¬ 
though it had changed hands several times and was 
moved once or twice. During the early days Mr. 
Byars had considerable trouble with the rough element 
and his store was broken into from time to time and 
burned on one occasion. 

J. E. Byars, the son of Adam Byars mentioned 
above, served through the Civil War and returned to 
Navarro County in 1865. He married Miss Mary Nash 
and ten children were born to this union. J. E. Byars 
operated a store at Wortham for some years in addi¬ 
tion to owning a stock farm. 

One of the early settlers of Navarro County was Ma¬ 
jor Alexander Beaton who was born in Inverness, Scot¬ 
land, in 1820. Major Beaton moved to America in 1843 
and settled in Navarro County on March 16, 1850. Cor¬ 
sicana was then a village of about one hundred inhabi¬ 
tants. 

Major Beaton was intensely pleased with the appear¬ 
ance of Navarro County and immediately settled here 
to make this his permanent home. He first worked in 


257 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


the county clerk's office under R. N. White, continu¬ 
ing his law studies at night and in his spare time. La¬ 
ter Major Beaton was admitted to the bar and he and 

R. Q. Mills were law partners. 

In 1852 Major Beaton married Miss Elizabeth J. Mc¬ 
Kinney and they had three children, Ralph, Kate (Mrs. 

S. W. Johnson), and Thomas Ruffin. 

He was very fond of his home South of town, call¬ 
ed Gem Hill, his library and his collection of miner¬ 
als. He also had a large collection of arrow heads, all 
of which were found on his own farm. 

During his entire lifetime Major Beaton worked un¬ 
tiringly toward furthering the success of Corsicana. 
In appreciation of his efforts toward securing the rail¬ 
road the principal street in Corsicana is named in his 
honor. 

Both Major Beaton and his good wife are buried in 
Oakwood Cemetery amid beautiful surroundings he 
loved so well. 

Samuel R. Frost was born in Montgomery 
County in 1846 and his family moved to Navarro 
County in the same year. Mr. Frost grew up on his 
father's farm in the Dresden-Raleigh community and 
went to school until he joined the Confederate Army at 
the age of seventeen. After returning from the War 
in 1869 he began reading law and was admitted to the 
bar. He was appointed county attorney of Navarro 
County and elected county judge in 1876. In addition 


258 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


to holding local offices he was also district judge and 
a member of the Legislature. 

Judge Frost married Mary L. Winkler and they lived 
for many years on Third Avenue where the Tatum and 
Eden homes now stand. As the town of Corsicana 
grew Judge Frost moved to the Southwest edge of 
town and built a new and finer home and planted trees 
and shrubs which he so much loved. 

A. N. Justiss and George E. Jester are each a son-in- 
law of Judge Frost and the other sons-in-law are Max 
Almond, R. L. Calkins and Guy Gibson. 

The John S. Gibson family was among the prominent 
early settlers of Corsicana and Miss Mollie Gibson, the 
only one surviving, who still lives in the old Gibson 
home, retains the traditions of her family. 

J. L. Halbert was one of the pioneer lawyers in Cor¬ 
sicana, coming to Texas after his graduation from the 
University of Mississippi about the year 1858. He was 
captain of a company during the Civil War and after 
returning was also a partner of R. Q. Mills until Col. 
Mills was elected to Congress in 1872. Capt. Hal¬ 
bert enjoyed a large practice and in 1878 was voted the 
most popular man in Navarro County and given a gold¬ 
headed cane. 

Judge Halbert is survived by three daughters, Mrs. 
Groce of Waxahachie, Mrs. Roseborough of Marshall 
and Mrs. J. K. Parr of Hillsboro as well as one son, J. 
L. Halbert, Jr. (Josh Halbert died in 1930). His son fol¬ 
lowed in his father's footsteps, being not only an out- 


259 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


standing lawyer but highly respected citizen of the 
community. 

One of the well-known pioneer citizens of Navarro 
County was Merit Drane who settled on 640 acres of 
land seven miles West of the town in 1860. Mr. Drane 
was one of the first to successfully cultivate the black, 
waxy soil. He moved into Corsicana in 1874 and oper¬ 
ated a hardware and implement store known as Drane 
& Gibson until S. J. T. Johnson bought out the Gibson 
interest. Mr. Johnson retired in 1885 and the business 
was carried on by Merit Drane and his son, F. N. Drane 
under the designation of Drane & Son. 

Mr. Drane, Sr., was active in helping to establish the 
State Orphans' Home, cotton compress, city water¬ 
works and the Texas Flour Mill, as well as being in¬ 
strumental in fostering the present efficient school 
system of Corsicana. 

The business qualifications of Merit Drane seem to 
have been inherited by his son, Frank N. Drane, who 
has since that time been concerned with much of the 
welfare of Corsicana and the county. Mrs. Florence 
Drane, wife of F. N. Drane was prominent in civic, re¬ 
ligious and educational affairs—and when she died in 
1982, was a member of the board of trustees of Tech¬ 
nological College at Lubbock, Texas. Their daughter, 
Dorothy, lives in Corsicana. 

Roger Q. Mills, was one of the outstanding citi¬ 
zens of Corsicana for two generations. Col. Mills 
began the practice of law in Corsicana in 1856. In 


260 




Top: Honorable Roger Q. Mills, one of the outstanding men of 
Texas dur'uig his lifetime. 

Bottom: The R. Q. Mills Home on Second Avenue, novo the home of 
Major C. H. Mills. 






























































































































t 




* 









* 







PIONEER FAMILIES 


1853 acted as overseer in opening up a road from Cor¬ 
sicana to Waxahachie. One position of honor after 
another was bestowed upon R. Q. Mills, and he filled all 
of these with distinction and ability. In 1859 he was 
elected a member of the Legislature and from a pri¬ 
vate in the Civil War he rose by sheer bravery and ef¬ 
ficiency to the post of colonel in command. Col. 
Mills returned to Corsicana and resumed his practice 
of law and in 1872 was elected to the United States 
Senate. He was for ten years a member of the Ways 
and Means Committee and a bill which he promulgated 
in 1888 greatly enhanced his reputation. 

Col. R. Q. Mills married Miss Caroline R. Jones 
in 1858. Mrs. Mills died in 1907 and four years later, 
September 2, 1911, Col. Mills was laid to rest beside 
his companion of fifty years. 

Col. Mills was a great lover of nature, very fond 
of good books and throughout his life loved his fellow 
men. 

Major Charles Mills, the son of Col. Roger Q. Mills, 
lives in the Mills home which is preserved as his father 
planned it many years ago. 

The Jester family is closely interwoven with the so¬ 
cial and economic life of Navarro County. The first 
member of this outstanding family was Mrs. Diadema 
Jester, the widow of Levi Jester, who came to Texas 
with her children in a covered wagon about 1858. Her 
father, Hampton McKinney, with his family, settled in 
Navarro County some years before Mrs. Jester arrived. 


261 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


Shortly after the arrival of Mrs. Jester her two old¬ 
est sons, Charles and George, began hauling brick with 
which the first brick court house was erected. Records 
indicate the two boys earned 50c a day each for their 
labor. Besides the three sons there were two daugh¬ 
ters, Vina (Mrs. Robt. Bates), Mary (Mrs. J. D. Hamil¬ 
ton). The Jester family for a time lived near where 
the telephone building now stands and across the street 
from what was then the R. N. White home. A short 
distance East of their home was a beautiful grove of 
oak and persimmon trees which was a favorite place 
for gatherings of all kinds. Sam Houston spoke in this 
grove and around the Jester home many warm discus¬ 
sions on topics of the day occurred. By strange coinci¬ 
dence temperance was then one of the foremost topics 
of political debate and from that time until the pres¬ 
ent has continued to be so. 

The two Jester boys, who helped erect the court 
house, entered business, Charles buying out the Jerni- 
gan Saddle Shop and George T. Jester entering the 
world of finance. His wife, Frances Gordon Jester, 
and son, Beauford Jester, and family, live in Jester 
Place, Corsicana. 

C. W. Jester was for years a leading member of 
the business and religious life of Corsicana and helped 
erect the first Methodist Church which was built in 
1871. The early records of this church are still treas¬ 
ured by Judge C. L. Jester, his son. 

George E. Jester, banker, C. L. Jester, a prominent 
Corsicana lawyer, Dr. Homer Jester and Hugh Jester 
262 



Honorable George T. Jester ( Deceased ) Lieutenant Governor 
of Texas 1895-99 


































I* 















































I 








. . 









































PIONEER FAMILIES 


are descendants of this pioneer family, as are Mrs. Josh 
Halbert and Mrs. Lowry Martin. 

The Kerr family began with James and Nancy Ross 
Kerr who came to Corsicana December 24, 1851. James 
Kerr, Jr., married when he reached Texas and built 
a home on fourteen acres of land, lying on what is 
now West Second Avenue. This home was built of 
lumber hauled from East Texas by ox wagons. 

The elder James Kerr died about 1859 and Mrs. 
Kerr, Sr., died in 1865. James Kerr, Jr., moved to 
the corner of Fifteenth Street, which was then call¬ 
ed Church Street and Third Avenue, which was for¬ 
merly known as Jefferson Street, and resided at this 
location until his death in 1901. He was one of the 
committee to labor for months to secure the H. & T. C. 
railroad for Corsicana. His son, T. P. Kerr, lives in 
Corsicana. 

Dr. William Kerr, Judge S. H. Kerr, Dr. Green Kerr 
and C. P. Kerr came to Corsicana in November, 1852, 
operating a general merchandise store on the Southeast 
corner of the square until the Civil War. T. P. Kerr and 
Hawkins Roberts’ store was formerly located on the 
corner of Collins and Beaton Streets and this institu¬ 
tion was housed in the first brick store building on 
Beaton Street, located at the point now occupied by the 
State National Bank Building. Hawk Roberts married 
James Kerr’s daughter, America. 

« 

William Kerr, of another family of Kerrs, 
was given a league of land near Chatfield for his serv- 


263 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


ices in guarding the baggage at the Battle of San Ja¬ 
cinto. 

The members of the Kerr family and their descend¬ 
ants are now and have been since the earliest days an 
integral part of the life of Navarro County. 

Wm. A Polk, with his father, Thos. M. Polk and fam¬ 
ily, moved to Texas at the close of the Civil War, and 
located four miles South of Dresden. In 1866, Wm. A. 
Polk went to Hernando, Miss., and returned with his 
bride, Miss Mattie Mosely. The concert grand piano, a 
part of her dowry, was brought also, and afforded much 
pleasure to her family and friends, for she was an ac¬ 
complished musician. 

Mr. Polk was elected as one of the first Master Ma¬ 
sons at Dresden, and was prominent in the community 
while at Dresden and also after he moved to Corsicana, 
where he spent many years of his life, and where his 
family of four sons and three daughters grew up. 
The sons were Emmett, Ed M., Arthur and Louis. The 
daughters Iza (died in youth), Ressa (Mrs. Henry Mil¬ 
ler) and Daisy (Mrs. J. S. Murchison). 

N. H. Butler moved from Georgia to Robertson 
County in 1845 and lived first in a log house located 
on land falling within the confines of Corsicana when 
this town was settled. Mr. Butler built wagons and 
buggies and his business prospered during the years. 

Of his seven children four of them still live in Corsi¬ 
cana, these being John Butler, J. E. Butler, Mrs. Ora 
Ivey and Mrs. C. T. Banister. One of his daughters 


264 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


now resides in Kerens. The youngest daughter, Mrs. 
Banister, was voted the most beautiful girl in Corsica¬ 
na and a park near the railroad station was named in 
her honor. It is now called Allyn Park. 

Jessie Walton and his family came to Corsicana from 
Tennessee in 1845. Mr. Walton was sheriff of Navar¬ 
ro County from 1854 to 1858, moving to Glen Rose 
some few years later and remaining at this place un¬ 
til his death in 1890. 

J. L. Walton, who was the son of the above men¬ 
tioned pioneer, followed in his father’s footsteps by be¬ 
ing elected sheriff and serving in this capacity from 
1884 until 1886. He lived about four miles Northeast 
of Corsicana and now lies in the private family ceme¬ 
tery on his farm. 

T. J. Walton, who is a grandson of Jesse, and son of 
J. L. Walton, is in the furniture business in Corsicana 
at the present time and has been for 24 years. 

The Petty family came to Navarro County about 
1846, and their farm still belongs to members of this 
pioneer family. 

The first road to Dallas went by the Petty farm and 
many of the early travelers stopped there for a cooling 
drink or to rest their horses on the journey. National 
Highway No. 75 now passes through the Petty farm 
and today it is a matter of an hour’s ride to cover what 
once required one or more days of arduous travel. 

P. F. Wood came to Navarro County from Washing- 
265 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 

ton County soon after the Civil War and was appoint¬ 
ed county judge. The family of Judge P. F. Wood has 
been prominent in the affairs of Navarro County since 
the early days. The five daughters were Mrs. Alice 
(Mrs. W. H.) Matchett, Mrs. Ellen Read, Mrs. Fannie 
Rous, Mrs. Maggie (Mrs. J. B.) Stiteler and Mrs. Lena 
Rice, wife of Judge John H. Rice, F. P. Wood, a son, 
died a few years ago. James Wood, who married a 
daughter of R. Q. Mills, and Percy Wood both left Cor¬ 
sicana many years ago. 

F. W. Caruthers came to Corsicana with the coming 
of the H. & T. C. railroad and engaged in the lumber, 
hardware and implement business. His home was one 
of the first brick houses in Corsicana and it has now 
been made into the electric freight office. The story of 
Mr. Caruthers is intertwined with that of another pio¬ 
neer, J. E. Whiteselle. Mr. Caruthers noticed from 
time to time the neat and efficient manner in which 
bills of lumber were rendered from a mill at Neches, 
Texas, and upon inquiry found that the man responsi¬ 
ble for this excellent workmanship was J. E. Whiteselle, 
who was then a young man in the employ of the Ezell 
Lumber Mills. Mr. Caruthers offered Mr. Whiteselle 
employment and in 1875 J. E. Whiteselle joined the 
Caruthers Lumber Company. After some years Mr. 
Whiteselle bought out this lumber business and opera¬ 
ted it until his death. Mr. Whiteselle married Miss 
Katie Huey in 1882 and Mrs. Whiteselle still retains 
her interest in social, civic, and educational affairs in 
Corsicana. 


266 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


Judge J. E. Simkins, a native of South Carolina, ser¬ 
ved in the Confederate Army during the Civil War and 
came to Corsicana in 1871, engaging in the practice of 
law until he was appointed district attorney in 1872. 
In 1882 he was appointed regent of the University of 
Texas and was twice reappointed to this post of respon¬ 
sibility. In 1886 Judge Simkins was elected to the 20th 
Legislature and was re-elected to the 21st. In 1892 he 
was appointed by Governor Hogg as a member of the 
Court of Appeals. Mrs. Simkins was formerly Miss El¬ 
la Trescott, also of South Carolina, and of the five 
children reared in Corsicana only one son, Joe Simkins, 
has resided here continuously. The old Simkins home 
is a landmark on Second Avenue until this day. 

R. M. Collins, who came to Navarro County in 1867, 
was a pioneer business man of Corsicana. He first re¬ 
sided twenty miles South of the town but moved to Cor¬ 
sicana in 1874, entering the grocery business on this 
date. Mr. Collins assisted in organizing the First Na¬ 
tional Bank, the cotton oil mill, the street railway, the 
flour mill and other industries. Mrs. Collins was 
formerly Miss Josephine Owen, a daughter of Francis 
Owen, who was an early settler in Navarro County. 

Alf Milligan and D. J. Gilbert were both engaged in 
stock raising from an early date in Navarro County. 
Mr. Milligan married Deniza, a daughter of Mr. Gil¬ 
bert. Both were well known cattle men during the days 
when this was the major industry, in Navarro County. 
Mr. Milligan is also well known as a business man and 
bank director in Corsicana. 


267 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The two Edens brothers, J. W. and N. B., were also 
pioneer cattlemen, coming to Texas from Kentucky in 
1867. The Edens brothers married sisters, daughters 
of Sheriff E. E. Dunn, who held this office eight years. 
He had six pretty daughters. All except one married 
Corsicana men. J. W. Edens was appointed deputy 
sheriff in 1876 under his father-in-law and was later 
elected tax collector. Worthy successors are their 
sons, J. W., now mayor of Corsicana, Allen, a grocer, 
and J. N., known to his friends as “Pole” and whose 
wisdom as a banker is widely known. 

David Clary received a land grant on Richland Creek 
in 1830. It was settled by three of his sons, Mish, 
Jesse, and Frank. The cedar-log home built by Mish 
Clary is now part of the M. M. Dickson home. Part of 
the original grant was bought by T. W. Carpenter, son- 
in-law of M. M. Dickson. 

T. W. Carpenter and his wife came to Texas from 
Tennessee soon after he finished serving throughout 
the Civil War. They reared their family of five daugh¬ 
ters and two sons on the farm purchased from Clary. 
Until he died in 1901, T. W. Carpenter was a man of 
vital energy and in his daily life put into practice the 
principles in which he believed. 

M. M. Burgess was a pioneer school teacher in Na¬ 
varro County, having formerly resided in Hill County. 
After his return from the Civil War he and his wife, 
who was Miss Ellen Sparks, taught school in Raleigh, 
near Dresden, and had among their pupils Sam R. 
Frost, Bryan T. Barry and James Robinson. Mr. Bur- 


268 









Mr. and Mrs. Thomas W. Carpenter 





























* 













































































PIONEER FAMILIES 


gess was the father of Mrs. P. C. Townsend, one of 
Corsicana’s best loved singers. Mr. Burgess was prom¬ 
inent in business circles of Corsicana for many years. 

Preston M. Lea came to Corsicana in 1870. Mr. Lea 
has been engaged in ginning and farming for a gen¬ 
eration and was in public life as deputy sheriff for two 
years. His wife was Lida M. Garner, a daughter of 
Joel Garner, a pioneer Navarro County settler. 

H. G. Damon came to Corsicana in 1873, opening a 
dry goods store. Business reverses, due to the yellow 
fever epidemic, caused him to discontinue the dry 
goods business and form a partnership with W. R. 
Bright. This firm was called the Texas Loan Agency 
and was one of the first of its kind incorporated in 
Texas. Mr. Damon’s wife was Miss Maggie Rogers, 
the daughter of Col. W. P. Rogers, and his partner 
married Miss Helen Simonton, who still resides in Cor¬ 
sicana. Mr. Bright’s daughter, Mrs. Eli Fox, has for 
several years been assistant county superintendent. 

One of the pioneers in Navarro County was Joseph 
Huey, who came to Texas from Pennsylvania in 1851, 
moving to Corsicana in 1871 and with Capt. Garitty 
organized a private bank in 1886, which later became 
the First National Bank. Mr. Huey also went into part¬ 
nership with Simon Philp and he and his partner es¬ 
tablished a wholesale and retail hardware business in 
Dallas in 1872. This business still enjoys a deserved 
success. Mr. Huey was connected with various inter¬ 
prises all of which are a successful monument to his 
business sagacity. Of the three daughters of the Huey 


269 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


family, including Mrs. Hughes and Mrs. A. V. Lane, 
only Mrs. J. E. Whiteselle continues to reside in Cor¬ 
sicana. 

Capt. James Garitty’s name has been intimately 
connected with so many Corsicana and Navarro Coun¬ 
ty enterprises that it would require an entire chapter 
to delineate all of them. He was, as mentioned above, 
one of the organizers of the First National Bank, con¬ 
nected with the cotton oil mill, the street railway and 
other outstanding enterprises. In his will a bequest was 
left to the poor of Navarro County and the interest of 
this fund is distributed annually. The family of Nick 
Garitty, a brother of Capt. James Garitty, still lives 
in Corsicana and is prominent in all enterprises which 
concern the town. 

Among the pioneer families was an early sheriff of 
Navarro County whose very name was a terror to evil 
doers although his physique did not indicate his prow¬ 
ess. This man, affectionately known as “Little 
Bob” Cubley, came to Texas in 1857 and to Na¬ 
varro County in 1872. His first position in Corsicana 
was as a teacher in Professor J. C. Mimm’s school but 
his record for law enforcement soon became known and 
he was tendered a position on the police force, which 
he accepted. Mr. Cubley served as constable and dep¬ 
uty sheriff and was elected sheriff in 1890. He had 
about him none of the swagger or false bravado and 
although small in stature he was absolutely fearless 
and it was said of him that he would “fight a circle 
saw with no gloves on”. 


270 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


William H. Neblett and family moved to Texas from 
Virginia about 1834, removing to Corsicana about 1852. 
Mr. Neblett was one of the editors of the old “Na¬ 
varro Express”. Mr. Neblett joined the Confederate 
Army and during the Civil War his family returned to 
their early home in Grimes County. R. S. Neblett, son 
of William H. Neblett, was prominent in Corsicana life 
from January 1, 1877, when he entered the practice of 
law here, until his death in 1918. He was a distinguish¬ 
ed lawyer, an earnest student and lover of nature. His 
two daughters, Mrs. Molloy and Mrs. Hagar, both live 
in Corsicana. 

J. M. McCammon and wife, with his parents, 
moved from Alabama to Corsicana on November 21, 
1871. They entered Corsicana on the first passenger 
train which came into the town when boarding houses 
were crowded and, while their welcome was warm, the 
climate was bitterly cold, since an early norther had 
brought snow and cold weather in its wake. Mr. Mc¬ 
Cammon entered partnership with W. A. Lang in 
1892 and until 1930 the McCammon and Lang Lum¬ 
ber Company was an outstanding enterprise in 
Navarro County. Mr. McCammon died in 1911 and 
his son, W. P. McCammon, succeeded him operating 
the lumber company until it was sold to the Camer¬ 
on Lumber Company. Mrs. C. W. Taylor and Mrs. Ab 
Douglas are daughters of this pioneer business man. 

For fifty years S. A. Pace was one of the outstanding 
citizens of Corsicana in both business and civic life. 
The S. A. Pace Wholesale Grocery Company was one of 
the largest and most successful firms in its line in the 
271 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


entire region. Mr. Pace married Miss Achsa Eugenia 
Maddox, of Fairfield, in 1870, and of their five chil¬ 
dren two still live in Corsicana, these two being Homer 
E. Pace and Mrs. Frank King. 

Judge J. M. Blanding moved from South Carolina to 
Corsicana in 1878 and began the practice of law. Judge 
Blanding has been associated with three other out¬ 
standing barristers; Judge Croft, Judge Frost and 
Judge Neblett. He was made president of the Navarro 
Bar Association in 1908 and held this post for many 
years. Mrs. Blanding was formerly Miss Cora Palmer, 
marrying Judge Blanding in 1880. After her death 
Judge Blanding relinquished the active practice of law 
and now makes his home with his daughter, Mrs. K. 
G. Stroud, who resides in Italy, Texas. 

Another outstanding member of the legal profession 
of Corsicana is Judge Rufus Hardy who began the prac¬ 
tice of law in 1878 and was elected county attorney 
two years later. Judge Hardy was made district 
judge, which post he held for eight years, and in 1906 
was elected to the United States Congress, continuing 
in this post of honor until 1923. Upon his resignation, 
in 1923, he was succeeded by Luther Johnson who was 
born and reared in Navarro County. Mrs. Hardy was 
formerly Miss Felicia Peck, daughter of Capt. Wil¬ 
liam M. Peck. Mr. and Mrs. Hardy were married in 
1882 and reared a family of six children, of whom two, 
Mrs. R. N. Holloway and Mrs. J. Pierce, still live in Cor¬ 
sicana. 

Before the industries occupied the major portion of 
272 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


that part of Corsicana lying East of the railroad tracks 
many citizens built their homes there, among them 
Capt. Martin and John S. Gibson, the Pinkston and 
McCammon families as well as the Curtis, Burnert, An¬ 
derson, Dunn, Clark, Johnson and Scales families. 
Only a few of these families still reside in their original 
location. Among them is Emil Frey, for many years 
a photographer in Corsicana, band leader and mu¬ 
sician. His wife was a Miss Bunert, and her sister, 
Mrs. Casey, lives across the street. 

Bunert’s Grove, on Seventh Avenue, was, in the 
Eighties, often the scene of picnics and band concerts. 

The J. T. Sullivan family occupied a prominent place 
in Corsicana in the Eighties and Nineties, Sullivans' 
Shoe Store was a large one for the times. Shoes were 
made as well as sold. Mrs. Sullivan, although a delicate 
woman, was a leader in church and social and civic af¬ 
fairs. Their family, one son and three daughters, was 
brought up in Corsicana. 

Among the loyal pioneer citizens of Corsicana, have 
been several Jewish families, besides those already 
mentioned were: David Deutchner and family, the Levi 
families, the Schwartz family, whose home was on the 
corner of Fifth Avenue and Main street, where the Na¬ 
varro Hotel now stands. Also there were the Jarets, 
long an important family in Corsicana, the Marks here 
for more than thirty years, the Rosenbergs, Gold¬ 
bergs, the Freedman family of long standing here, K. 
Wolens, now celebrating their thirty-fifth year in busi¬ 
ness here, the Simon Daniels, a large family, all in Cor- 


273 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


sicana, the Drebens, Cerf and Raphael, among the best 
of the town's citizens. Most of these old families are 
represented by descendants still living here. 

Luther Johnson, although still a young man, has at¬ 
tained success as a lawyer. He is a member of Con¬ 
gress, having succeeded Judge Hardy. His wife, an 
able helpmate, was Miss Turner Read, daughter of Dr. 
M. S. Read, for many years a prominent dentist here. 

G. A. Rakestraw, a native of Georgia, came to Texas 
in 1851 and for several years taught school. He was 
admitted to the bar later. He served as a soldier dur¬ 
ing the Civil War. Later he and his wife moved to 
Grape Creek, about 20 miles South of Corsicana, and 
reared their family, one son and six daughters, two 
of whom, Mrs. B. L. Davis and Mrs. C. W. Jester were 
Corsicana citizens. Mrs. Jester died some years ago. 

George Elliott and his family also lived near Grape 
Creek which, in the Nineties, was a popular community, 
a Methodist Church and camp ground being the center. 

W. H. McElwee operated a general merchandise store 
on the South side of the square during the early days. 
He sold general merchandise and queens ware, as 
china was then called. He moved his store to Beaton 
Street upon the coming of the railroad and the McEl¬ 
wee home on Fourth Avenue, which was built about 
fifty years ago, stands as a typical home of the period. 
The Collin Street Bakery, which is operated by des¬ 
cendants of this pioneer, is known far and wide for the 
quality of its products. 


274 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


One of the early families of Navarro County was that 
of Judge John H. Rice. Judge Rice was a law partner 
of Judge McKie from 1878 to 1884 and this family is 
represented by Neil Rice and Misses Fannie, Porter and 
Lacy Rice. 

Col. Riggs was a prominent citizen in Corsicana in 
early days. He had a part in most of his county’s acti¬ 
vities for many years. His home was on Jefferson 
Street, now Third Avenue/where his daughter, Mrs. 
Gus Teas, still lives. Another daughter was the wife 
of Dr. Robinson of Dresden, while a third, married 
Wynder Kenner. Many of Col. Riggs’ descendants still 
make Navarro County their home. 

Among the men who filled important places in Corsi¬ 
cana in the Seventies and Eighties were M. Z. Collum 
and his five sons, who came to Corsicana and built a 
large flour mill and elevator. Many of the farmers, at 
that time, raised their own wheat and ate their own 
bread. As conditions changed, with the years, the 
mills were discontinued, and now, people buy in pack¬ 
ages, even meal and chicken feed. 

Mrs. S. C. Collum, wife of one of the sons, has lived 
here since that time. She died this year (1982). Her 
daughter, Mrs. Sid Story and family occupy the old 
Collum home. 

Among the many men who have called Corsicana 
and Navarro County, home, no one was more loyal or 
energetic than Abe Mulkey. His work was construc¬ 
tive, practical, vital and although there is no way of 


275 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


measuring, or accounting such things by a material 
standard, there are many who will assert that by his 
constant and earnest preaching and assistance, his 
work stands out. By fearlessly advocating truth and 
honesty and faithfulness he has been, through it all, a 
material benefit to his fellow citizens. 

Mr. Mulkey was born in Center Point, Arkansas, 
April 5th, 1850. His father was a minister, possessing 
some of the characteristics noticeable in the life of his 
son. His parents moved to Waxahachie about 1860, 
where Abe lived until he was about eighteen. He and 
Louisa Kerr, daughter of Harris Kerr, were married in 
Corsicana, Dec. 18th, 1869, when he was nineteen, and 
she was seventeen. He was in business, altogether, 
twenty years. He preached almost twenty years after 
his conversion. His method of preaching was unique 
and very effective. He aided a great many churches in 
paying off their indebtedness. He helped to secure 
money with which to build churches. But his main 
theme was honesty at all times, in all places. It was 
said he could raise more money in a shorter time than 
any preacher in his time. He was an evangelist and 
preached in many other states and in Mexico. His 
energy was unfailing and he wasted no time. His home 
was built on the location where his wife's father had 
built a home for his family in the early days of Corsi¬ 
cana. Mr. Mulkey’s home was of the period of the 
Nineties, and is still a handsome house. Mrs. Mulkey 
still makes it her home. Mr. Mulkey died during 1919. 
He was buried in Oakwood Cemetery where their only 
son was buried some years before. 


276 


PIONEER FAMILIES 


Mrs. Mulkey went with her husband in his travels, 
and assisted in the services. One of his chief desires 
was to aid the orphanage at Waco and his assistance 
there was incalculable. He was also greatly interested 
in the superannuated preachers and did much toward 
providing for their old age. 

J. M. Scales moved to Springhill in 1856 and lived 
there until about 1875 when he moved to Corsicana, 
and reared his family. The Scales families were iden¬ 
tified with social and business circles in the Eighties 
and Nineties. 

Dr. George Washington Bryan came to Navarro 
County from Missouri shortly after the Civil War and 
built his home West of Corsicana near Taylor's Grove 
where he practiced medicine for almost fifty years. 
The settlement of Drane, nearby, gradually formed and 
it still is a thriving community. 

The Tatum family, since the early days, has been a 
part of the business, social and religious life of the 
county. S, L. Tatum was in the hardware and tinner 
business on the square, and that business has been al¬ 
most continuous until the present. W. M. Tatum spent 
his life in the town and watched his hardware business 
expand to wholesale and retail. His wife, Georgia Cun¬ 
ningham, was a sister of J. D. and C. C. Cunningham 
and still lives here with her three sons and one daugh¬ 
ter. John and Claude Cunningham were identified al¬ 
so with the hardware business. They have been Corsi¬ 
cana citizens for more than forty years. 


277 


HISTORY OF NAVARRO COUNTY 


The first florist in Corsicana was Wm. Clowe. He 
and his wife came from England and settled in Corsi¬ 
cana in 1885. From that time until they died (Mrs. 
Clowe in 1923 and Mr. Clowe in 1926) they were suc¬ 
cessful with their nursery, supplying growing and cut 
flowers to Navarro County people. Their children have 
continued the work and, as their parents, were good 
citizens. 

Many Navarro County citizens have done important 
work — in business and art — in literature and in 
statesmanship. 

Navarro County has known many changes in many 
ways and there is cause for gratitude that the major¬ 
ity of the citizenry has been for justice, truth and 
right living. 

In all times of trial in the past the spirit of right 
has prevailed. There have been trials and there will 
be again but thus far the true American spirit is in 
command. 



278 
















Index to Names 


A 

Adams: 110, 134, 140 
Alderman: 221 

Aldrich: 255 

Alexander: 221 

Alfin: 108 

Allen: 26, 37, 119, 128, 134, 228, 242 
Allison: 140 
Allsbrooks: 237 

Allyn: 119, 130, 153, 166, 176, 177, 

255, 265 
Almond: 259 

Ambercrombie: 200 

Ammons: 72 

Anderson: 13, 72, 74, 106, 108, 110, 
205, 212, 232, 233, 243, 273 
Andrews: 140, 208 
Angus: 139, 142, 248 
Anthony: 193 
Armstrong: 107, 165, 188 
Arrington: 218 
Austin: 62, 107, 122, 203, 231 
Autrey: 177 
Autry: 27, 71, 146, 158 

B 

Bailey: 72, 242 

Baird: 86 

Baker: 37, 42, 122 

Ballew: 138, 139, 158, 159, 197, 234 

Baltzegar: 230 

Banister: 159, 179, 264, 265 

Banks: 173, 210, 231 

Barcus: 165 

Barnet: 108 

Barrett: 72, 193, 222, 224, 252 
Barry: 31, 32, 33, 35, 72, 74, 82, 108, 
109, 119, 143, 185, 190, 210, 211, 
268 

Bartlet: 82 

Barton: 37, 43, 44, 81 

Bates: 119, 152, 221, 255, 262 

Baugh: 220 

Baum: 81 

Baxter: 134 

Bayless: 235 

Baylor: 71, 162 

Beale: 71, 119 

Bean: 151 

Beasley: 107, 198, 200, 215, 239, 240 
Beaton: 80, 126, 142, 147, 150, 154, 
177, 257, 258 


Beaty: 72 
Beck: 219 
Beebe: 110 

Beeman: 85, 102, 235, 236, 253 

Bell: 72 

Benson: 140 

Berget: 186 

Bergin: 165 

Berry: 72, 214, 215, 216, 219 

Biddler: 204 

Billingsly: 24, 72, 229 

Bills: 214 

Bingham: 233 

Bird: 162 

Bishop: 109, 126, 127, 164, 199, 235 

Bitzer: 162 

Black: 165, 220 

Blackmon: 170, 244, 248, 249 

Blackshear: 231 

Blair: 132, 173, 174 

Blanding: 71, 119, 158, 271, 272 

Blankenship: 238 

Blayston: 185 

Blevins: 72 

Bohanan: 207 

Boles: 108 

Bolin: 72 

Bolt: 140 

Boltz: 13 

Bonham: 232 

Booth: 165 

Bonner: 166, 244 

Boston: 170 

Bostwick: 110 

Boswell: 220 

Bourland: 220 

Bowman: 72, 205, 213 

Bowmer: 175 

Boyd: 121, 180, 244, 245 

Boyle: 72 

Boynton: 108, 179 

Bradley: 72 

Bragg: 72, 193, 197, 239, 240 
Branburg: 201 
Bressier: 245 

Brewster: 108 

Bright: 71, 130, 131, 135, 158, 256, 
268 

Brim: 13 
Brinberry: 13 

Brinson: 217 
Brister: 213 


Bristow: 173, 174 
Brooks: 86, 166, 230 
Brown: 72, 135, 139, 156, 173, 198, 
206, 207, 219, 244 
Browning: 63, 72, 193 
Bruton: 110 
Bryan: 170, 277 
Bryant: 110, 188, 234 
Buckner: 156 
Burdine: 110 
Burgess: 268, 269 

Burke: 136, 169, 239, 240 
Burnert: 273 
Burnett: 172, 174, 234 
Burrow: 149 

Burton: 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 146 
Butler: 110, 136, 177, 264 
Byars: 160, 162, 257 
Byers: 160, 242 
Byrd: 139 

C 

Caddell: 108 

Cadwell: 72, 110, 136, 160, 177, 193 

Caffy: 13 
Cagle: 218 

Caldwell: 193, 219, 243 
Calhoun: 216 

Calkins: 259 
Call: 158, 177 
Callicutt: 158, 177 

Calloway: 158 
Cameron: 271 

Campbell: 26, 67, 160, 209, 249 

Cannon: 183, 216 

Cantwell: 132 

Carethers: 82 

Carlisle: 132 

Carpenter: 13, 26, 137, 158, 161, 178, 

234, 268 

Carr: 72, 110, 248 
Carroll: 27, 72, 74, 109, 129, 164, 
186, 188, 189, 198, 205, 209, 211, 
212, 213, 220, 239 
Carruthers: 119, 153 
Carter: 110, 149, 151, 170, 174, 175 
Caruthers: 266 

Casey: 273 

Cerf: 136, 152, 166, 177, 274 

Chaffee: 111 

Chambers: 25, 198, 205 

Chandler: 58 

Cheatham: 182 

Cherry: 211, 212 

Childress: 108, 167, 242 

Christian: 231 

Church: 134, 139, 177 

Clark: 72, 81, 140, 193, 216, 233, 

235, 273 

Clary: 27, 268 

Clayton: 106, 109, 197, 198 
Cleary: 220 

Clemmons: 214, 246 
Cline: 63, 72 
Clopton: 110, 223, 224 

Clowe: 278 

Coates: 203, 212, 213, 216 


Cobb: 72 

Coburn: 72 

Coffey: 198 
Cohagen: 239, 240 

Collins: 177, 245, 267 
Collum: 275 
Colquitt: 145 
Compere: 163, 210, 236 
Conner: 239, 240 

Cook: 48, 72, 121, 162, 185, 233, 

234, 242 
Cooke: 23 

Cooksey: 197 

Copeland: 168 
Corkern: 213 

Couchman: 110 

Coulson: 163, 177 

Coulter: 228 
Cowsor: 245 

Cox: 37, 40, 41, 58, 72, 159, 180, 
209, 220 
Crabb: 72, 76 

Crabbe: 108, 234 
Crabtree: 72, 107 
Cranford: 139, 140 
Crofford: 197 

Croft: 119, 135, 147, 150, 158, 256, 

272 

Crook: 180 
Croom: 170 

Cross: 71, 174 
Crossland: 190 
Crouch: 140 
Crowley: 180 
Cubley: 270 
Cull: 110 
Cullinan: 154, 177 

Culver: 165 
Cummings: 128 

Cunningham: 160, 177, 189, 277 

Currie: 173, 174 

Currington: 158 

Curtis: 135, 139, 174, 273 

Curry: 220 

Cushion: 77 

D 

Dallas: 60 

Dalton: 144, 145 

Damon: 119, 177, 268, 269 

Daniel: 172, 198, 199, 211, 212, 213, 

273 

Daniell: 211, 212 

Dawson: 182, 213, 215 
David: 134, 173, 174 
Davidson: 136, 243 
Davis: 37, 41, 72, 81, 130, 131, 139, 
140, 142, 153, 158, 188, 194, 208, 
212, 215, 216, 221, 238, 274 
Daviss: 158 
Day: 198, 199, 200, 201 
Dean: 110, 170, 183, 214 
DeArman: 26, 72, 193, 230 
DeLafosse: 242 
DeRusha: 242 

Deutchner: 273 
Dick: 188 


Dickey: 140 

Dickson: 72, 125, 170, 174, 213, 214, 
215, 218, 237, 268 
Dillard: 108 
Dillingham: 209 

Donaghn: 72 

Donaldson: 71, 74, 147 
Douglas: 134, 271 
Dougherty: 26 

Dowdle: 221 

Drane: 128, 129, 151, 152, 153, 176, 
177, 179, 243, 256, 260 
Dreben: 273 

Driscoll: 167 
Driskill: 170 

Dubose: 234 

Duncan: 108 

Dunn: 136, 243, 249, 268, 273 
Dunning: 110 
Dupuy: 136 

Duren: 35, 107, 125, 162, 211, 238 
Durham: 245 

Dyer: 179 


E 

Earle: 37 

Edens: 135, 179, 249, 268 
Edgar: 174, 207 
Edmundson: 222 

Eds: 72 
Edwards: 216 
Eley: 192 

Eliot: 61, 124, 170, 256 
Elkins: 207 
Ellets: 232 

Elliott: 73, 135, 179, 253, 274 

Ellis: 141, 165, 173, 174, 175, 209, 

232, 239 

Ellison: 239 

Elliston: 210 

Emmett: 247 

Erwin: 149 

Ester: 72 

Estes: 240 

Evans: 72, 130, 131, 152 

Eylar: 144 
Ezell: 175, 266. 

F 

Faddis: 176 

Fagalas: 188, 209 

Fa gin: 108 
Fain: 109 

Fairfax: 128 
Farmer: 198 

Farris: 72 
Faust: 132 

Fendley: 137 

Ferguson: 126, 152, 160, 179, 231, 

233, 237 

Fewell: 153 

Ficklin: 239 

Fikes: 37, 41 

Fillers: 132 
Finch: 104, 197 
Flaherty: 72 
Flint: 191 


Fletcher: 72 

Fleming: 72, 177, 179 

Flowers: 210 

Floyd: 204 

Fluker: 207 

Fly: 160 

Folger: 155 

Folk: 219 

Fondren: 108 

Fortson: 177 

Foster: 108, 179 

Fountain: 172, 175 

Fouty: 109, 206, 245 

Fowler: 110, 199 

Fox: 83, 119, 153, 166, 269 

Francis: 136 

Franklin: 108 

Frazier: 239, 240 

Freed: 216 

Freedman: 104, 119, 273 
Freeman: 158, 163, 188, 210, 220 
French: 72, 109, 148, 198, 221, 247 
Frey: 273 

Frost: 72, 74, 139, 158, 177, 211, 
253, 258, 259, 268, 272 
Fryar: 174 

Fuller: 108, 110, 121, 220 
Fullerton: 72, 76, 182, 215 
Fullwood: 244 

Fulton: 141 


G 


Gable: 215 
Galbraith: 218 
Gaines: 207, 218 

Gaither: 137 
Gann: 244 

Garcia: 26 

Garden: 150 

Garitty: 134, 135, 138, 152, 169, 173, 
179, 269, 270 
Garlic: 72, 245 
Garlick: 205 

Garlington: 211 

Garner: 81, 140, 149, 182, 215, 237, 
269 

Garrett: 213 
Garvin: 167, 232 

Garwood: 242 

Garza: 62 

Gates: 248 

Gay: 166 
Gee: 165 


George: 72, 158, 209, 211 
Gibson: 26. 130, 131, 158, 169, 178, 
219, 259, 260, 273 
Gideon: 129 
Gilbert: 267 
Gilbreath: 141 


Giles: 163 
Gill: 220, 221 
Gillean: 221 
Giltner: 147 
Goar: 159 
Goldberg: 273 
Goldsmith: 166 


Good: 166 


Goode: 160 
Goodin: 245 

Goodjohn: 234 

Goodlow: 27 

Goodman: 110, 119, 130, 152, 247 
Goodwin: 13, 222 
Gordon: 176 
Gould: 72 

Gowan: 188, 189, 209 

Grady: 123, 208, 209 
Graffeo: 167 

Graham: 71, 104, 110, 111, 197, 216, 
246 

Grant: 77, 188, 209 

Grantham: 234 

Graves: 110, 141 

Green: 107, 108 

Greenlee: 244 

Greer: 35, 108, 130, 141 

Gregg: 71, 165 

Gregory: 233 

Griffin: 166, 188, 209 

Griggs: 198 

Grimes: 219 

Grimm: 209 

Groce: 122, 130, 259 

Groves: 249 

Guinn: 193 

Gulic: 127 

Gulick: 170 

H 

Haden: 144, 186, 187, 188 

Hagar: 271 

Hagle: 108, 274 

Hagler: 233 

Haily: 163 

Haines: 72, 216 

Halbert: 109, 130, 150, 154, 176, 234, 
259, 263 
Hall: 165 
Halley: 137 
Hamill: 174 

Hamilton: 13, 72, 83, 108, 122, 135, 
174, 193, 235, 236, 244, 253, 254, 
255, 262 

Hammond: 235 

Hampton: 136 

Hand: 130, 131, 132 

Hanks: 173, 174, 180, 232, 234 

Hanly: 72, 76 

Hard: 37 

Hardin: 160 

Hardy: 72, 125, 138, 158, 176, 274 

Harlan: 122 

Harle: 71, 145 

Harmond: 207 

Harper: 107, 197, 228 

Harrell: 72 

Harris: 13. 108, 138, 158, 180, 209 
Harrison: 107, 108, 218, 220, 232 
Hartin: 72 

Hartley: 209 

Hartman: 147 

Hartzell: 63, 82, 84, 185, 186, 188 

Harvard: 245 
Harwell: 179 


Haslam: 172 
Hassell: 199 
Hastings: 156 

Hawkins: 139 

Haynes: 71, 72, 83, 109, 142, 218 

Haynie: 222, 223, 224 

Head: 13, 212 

Healer: 180, 207 

Heather: 180 

Heflin: 136 

Henderson: 27, 29, 34, 35, 37, 43, 44, 

45, 50, 51, 52, 53, 54, 55, 56, 64, 
66, 106, 108, 242, 255 
Hendrick: 26 

Hendricks: 213 

Henry: 209, 245 

Hensle: 110 
Herbert: 108 
Hershey: 128 
Hervey: 180 
Hezzleton: 77 

Hickey: 167 
Hickman: 210 

Hicks: 71, 81, 82, 158, 188 
Higbee: 138 
High: 188, 209 
Highnote: 110, 235, 249 
Highsmith: 221 
Hightower: 216 
Hilburn: 110, 207 

Hill: 38, 106, 107, 108, 173, 175, 181, 
182, 183, 184, 215 
Hines: 168, 210 
Hobbs: 72 

Hodge: 99, 170, 196, 197, 219 

Hodges: 72, 122, 235 

Hoffstetter: 170 

Hogan: 193, 238 

Hogard: 72 

Hogg: 267 

Hogue: 216 

Holcomb: 214 

Holdeman: 108 

Holland: 30, 31, 32, 228, 239 

Hollingsworth: 216 

Holloway: 108, 175, 237, 272 

Holmes: 223, 224, 228, 242 

Hook: 210 

Hooper: 110 

Hopkins: 128 

Horn: 174 

Hornbeak : 161, 199, 200 

Hough: 166 
House: 241 

Houston: 21, 172, 175, 176, 182, 262 

Howard: 72, 188 

Howe: 24, 61, 70, 255 

Howell: 158 

Huey: 134, 266, 269 

Huff: 189, 209 

Huggins: 239 

Hughes: 220, 270 

Hulan: 212 

Humphrey: 72 

Hunter: 110, 243 

Huskey: 238 

Huskinson: 242 


Huston: 138 
Hutcheson: 219 

I 

Ingraham: 110, 163, 203 

Ingram: 37, 42 

Irons: 130 

Irwin: 228 

Isbell: 221 

Ish: 126 

Ivey: 264 

J 

Jack: 158 

Jackson: 37, 39, 55, 64, 73, 107, 110, 
130, 133, 141, 160, 179, 228, 230, 
231 

Jamieson: 199 
January: 187 
Jaret: 273 
Jeffers: 193, 197 
Jefferson: 108, 179 
Jeffries: 73, 233 
Jernigan: 143, 149 
Jester: 71, 84, 122, 134, 135, 136, 
152, 153, 158, 173, 174, 177, 179, 

259, 261, 262, 274 

Jewett: 71 

Johnson: 63, 64, 65, 73, 119, 128, 
137, 139, 140, 141, 152, 159, 170, 

173, 174, 177, 183, 188, 189, 190, 

193, 213, 214, 239, 255, 258, 260, 

272 273 274 

Johnston: 26, 154, 180, 221, 231, 243, 
244, 247 

Jones: 37, 42, 60, 73, 74, 104, 109, 
110, 119, 135, 141, 174, 180, 182, 

188, 198, 209, 212, 216, 217, 219, 


234, 

, 243, 245, 261 

Joplin: 

211 

Jordan: 

108, 180 

Justice: 

74 

Justiss: 

81, 146, 259 


K 

Kamsler: 119, 152 

Keathley: 13 

Keel: : 

L41 

Keen: 

213 

Keith: 

150, 180 

Kelm: 

241 

Kelsey: 

173, 209 

Kelton: 

173, 174, 175 

Kendall 

: 65, 74 

Kennedy: 163 

Kenner: 

: 176, 232, 275 

Kent: 

249 

Kerens: 

211 

Kerr: 

13, 27, 71, 84, 


143, 149, 152, 158, 160, 170, 177, 
178, 198, 203, 248, 263, 264, 276 
Key: 190 
Kilgore: 198 

Killean: 108 

Killingsworth: 231 

Kimes: 212 

Kincaid: 196 
King: 161, 249, 272 
Kinsloe: 81 


Kirksey: 170, 214 
Knight: 180 
Knott: 249 

Knox: 136, 173, 180, 190, 218 
Kuchoffer: 84 

Kutner: 110 

L 

Lackey: 200, 224, 225, 227 

Ladd: 63 

Lafand: 207 

Laffoon: 124 

Lake: 235 

Lamb: 33 

Lancford: 193 

Lane: 37, 43, 44, 45, 270 

Laney: 218 

Lang: 179, 271 

Langham: 222, 228 

Langston: 209 

Lansford: 121 

Latta: 249 

Lattimore: 218 

Lawrence: 130, 182, 214 

Lea: 269 

Leach: 170 

Lee: 73, 85, 138, 139, 153, 158, 163, 
177, 183, 193, 220, 229, 232, 234 
Leek: 239 

Leetch: 81 

Leftwich: 21 

Lemmon: 108 
Leonard: 134, 175 
Leslie: 140 
Levi: 273 

Lewis: 146, 180 
Lile: 198 
Lindsay: 81 

Lindsey: 135, 160, 219 
Linn: 165 

Lisman: 99, 196, 197 

Little: 235, 237 

Lockhart: 198, 222, 241, 256 

Loggins: 73, 176 

Long: 217 

Lonons: 231 

Loop: 223 

Logsdon: 174 

Loper: 141 

Lorley: 110 

Lotspeich: 74 

Loughridge: 71, 107, 142, 150 
Love: 27, 37, 39, 44, 45, 55, 56, 57, 
58, 61, 125, 150, 175, 234 
Lovett: 158, 245 
Lowrey: 175, 198 
Loyd: 209 

Lummins: 108 
Lutterloh: 186 
Lynch: 141, 243 
Lyons: 77 

Lysles: 216 
Lytton: 165 

Me 

McAfee: 156 
McBride: 237 

McCabe: 82 


McCammon: 134, 162, 179, 190, 238, 

242, 271, 273 
McCarter: 243 

McClanahan: 209 

McClellan: 158 
McClendon: 180 

McClintock: 246 
McCluney: 210, 212 

McClure: 245 

McClung: 174, 211, 212, 213 

McConnico: 109, 212, 232 

McCord: 216, 217 

McCorkle: 119 

McCormick: 128, 209 

McCrary: 110 

McCuiston: 256 

McCulloch: 216 

McCullough: 216 

McDaniel: 174 

McElrath: 110 

McElroy: 141 

McElwee: 110, 235, 274 

McFadden: 210 

McGarvey: 192 

McGee: 227 

McGehee: 141 

McGill: 138 

McKanna: 146 

McKie: 109, 146, 149, 158, 163, 170, 
177 275 

McKinney: 28, 64, 79, 80, 81, 82, 110, 
212, 216, 254, 256, 258, 261 
McLaughlin: 37, 43, 209 

McLendon: 173, 175 
McMicken: 218 
McMillan: 188, 216 
McMorris: 107 
McMullin: 175, 197 

McMurray: 162 
McPhail: 151 

McSpadden: 182, 209 
McStrivick: 166 
McWilliams: 158 

M 

Mabry: 169, 188, 209, 211 
Madewell: 207 

Maddox: 272 

Maggard: 209, 211, 242 
Maiden: 110 
Malone: 110 
Mallory: 119 
Marchbank: 197 

Marks: 135, 177, 179, 273 
Martin: 71, 82, 83, 89, 104, 106, 109, 
135, 147, 177, 178, 198, 199, 202, 
263, 273 
Marsh: 245 

Marshall: 153, 234 
Massey: 108 
Master: 240 

Matchett: 266 

Matlock: 173, 175, 218 
Matthews: 109, 170, 182, 184, 214, 
215, 216 
Mayer: 81 

Mayfield: 24, 28 


Mays: 63, 71, 74, 158, 159, 212 
Mead: 234 

Meador: 73, 108, 205, 218, 237, 249 
Means: 220 

Medaris: 172 
Megarity: 237 

Melear: 132, 158, 179, 199, 211, 212 
Melton: 27, 63, 64, 106, 107, 110, 184, 
186, 210, 211, 227 
Meredith: 197 

Merrill: 167 
Merrow: 212 
Mickie: 82 

Michael: 82, 83, 143, 149 
Middleton: 134, 249 
Middlebrook: 207, 245 

Miles: 230, 231 

Miller: 71, 80, 81, 108, 110, 129, 144, 
147, 148, 152, 158, 174, 175, 198, 
208, 264 

Milligan: 135, 267 
Mills: 108, 117, 118, 126, 130, 135, 
147, 149, 150, 152, 158, 164, 234, 
238, 258, 259, 260, 261, 266 
Mimms: 270 

Mitchell: 37, 61, 66, 67, 81, 82, 108, 
150, 219, 220 
Mitchem: 224, 225 

Mitten: 168, 169, 179, 238 
Mizzell: 197 

Modrall: 125, 160, 210 

Molloy: 109, 125, 158, 271 

Monk: 165 

Monnell: 82 

Montfort: 197 

Montgomery: 158, 233, 243, 244, 245 

Montooth: 110 

Morgan: 136, 180, 219 

Morrell: 73, 84, 162 

Morris: 141, 146 

Morrison: 162 

Moseley: 128, 264 

Mosly: 162 

Moss: 149 

Mulkey: 143, 147, 153, 275, 276, 277 

Mullins: 163, 188, 208, 210 

Munsey: 136 

Murchison: 264 

Murray: 220 

Myles: 242 

N 

Nash: 71, 74, 158, 180, 205, 206, 245, 
257 

Navarro: 8, 9, 61, 62, 63 

Neal: 108, 109, 198 

Neblett: 104, 106, 143, 150, 158, 271 

Neil: 37, 40, 45, 47, 49, 61, 67, 252 

Nelson: 216 

Nelston: 26 

Nettles: 213 

Newman: 27, 232 

Newton: 173, 175, 215 

Nicholson: 63 

Noble: 199, 211, 212 

Nokes: 234 

Noonan: 129, 167 


Norris: 227 

Norwood: 132, 134, 175 

O 

Oakes: 81, 149, 170 
Oates: 136 
Oglebie: 106, 107 
Oldham: 91 

Olsen: 178, 233 
Onstott: 182, 183, 214 
Orr: 166 
Ortez: 67 

Osborne: 108, 109, 247 
Owen: 71, 74, 158, 172, 198, 199, 212, 
234, 241, 267 

Owens: 13, 108, 175, 203, 242 

P 

Pace: 74, 153, 177, 271, 272 

Page: 81, 142 

Pagit: 146 

Palmer: 179, 272 

Pannill: 156, 170 

Panton: 175 

Parish: 81, 242 

Parker, 30, 45, 211 

Parr: 259 

Parsons: 74 

Patrick: 207 

Patterson: 245, 246 

Patton: 24, 159, 243 

Payne: 156, 172 

Peacock: 249 

Peck: 84, 125, 176, 272 

Peevehouse: 27, 180, 188, 189 

Person: 198, 199 

Petty: 122, 141, 248, 265 

Platt: 107 

Philp: 269 

Phillips: 128, 130, 141, 209 

Phipps: 229 

Plumly: 156 

Pickett: 108, 205, 235 

Pierce: 134, 140, 179, 272 

Pillar: 86, 232 

Pinkston: 152, 242, 273 

Pinnington: 107 

Piper: 143 

Pippin: 111 

Poitevaut: 193 

Polk: 60, 108, 138, 175, 179, 188, 264 

Pool: 141 

Pope: 210 

Porter: 27, 191, 222 

Pntppt • 907 

Powell*: 81, 164, 229, 248, 249 

Powers: 149 

Prather: 220 

Prendergraft: 135 

Prendergrast: 72 

Preston: 200 

Price: 211, 212, 232 

Prichard: 213 

Priddy: 215 

Prince: 158 

Proctor: 155 

Pruitt: 209, 211, 247 


Pugh: 249, 250, 256 
Pulliam: 243 
Pundt: 135 
Pursley: 108, 207 
Puryear: 210, 245 

R 

Rainwater: 152 

Rakestraw: 128, 274 

Ramage: 13 

Ramsey: 110, 209, 237 

Rankin: 110, 138 

Ransom: 84, 198, 208, 254, 255 

Ransome: 166, 188 

Raphael: 152, 274 

Rascoe: 239 

Ray: 163 

Re: 245 

Read: 130, 266, 274 
Reagan: 71, 191 
Rector: 110 
Reed: 110, 220 
Reese: 190, 213 
Reid: 127, 242 
Reno: 110 
Revare: 81 

Rice: 71, 108, 173, 223, 266, 275 

Richards: 242 

Richardson: 64, 207 

Richer: 130, 182 

Ridley: 193 

Riggs: 24, 63, 64, 66, 109, 160, 195 

97c; 

Riley: 167 
Ritchie: 183, 232 
Roark: 186 
Robb: 124 
Robbins: 135, 152 
Roberts: 122, 128, 134, 135, 136, 179 
193, 205, 263 
Robertson: 22 

Robinson: 99, 110, 138, 170, 175, 186 
188, 219, 244, 268, 275 
Rochelle: 136 
Roger: 110 

Rogers: 31, 63, 152, 175, 216, 269 

Roman: 235 

Rooney: 128 

Root: 82, 161, 198, 200 

Rose: 197, 222 

Roseborough: 259 

Rosenberg: 273 

Ross: 205, 206, 213, 234, 235 

Rothkopf: 158 

Roughton: 148 

Rous: 266 

Rouse: 232 

Rowe: 175 

Royal: 179 

Rucker: 183 

Ruffin: 201, 258 

Russel: 221 

Russell: 173, 175 

Ryan: 81 

S 

Saddler: 175 

Sanders: 13, 175, 209, 218 


Sanger: 142 

Sargent: 144 

Sawyer: 180, 216 

Scales: 110, 273, 277 

Scarborough: 72, 158, 180 

Schermacher: 128 

Schwartz: 215, 273 

Scoggins: 219 

Scogin: 197 

Scott: 219 

Scroggs: 212 

Seale: 81 

Sealy: 156 

Sears: 203, 216 

Seibert: 193 

Selman : 170, 200, 243 

Sessions: 108, 180, 198, 222, 224 

Sewell: 209 

Sharpley: 242 

Shehee: 167 

Shell: 134, 173, 175 

Shelton: 71, 81 

Sheppard: 218 

Sherrill: 198, 199 

Shook: 143 

Shropshire: 146 

Shultz: 214 

Shumate: 232 

Sidwell: 182 

Silbert: 216 

Simmons: 107, 163, 210 

Simms: 215 

Simonton: 269 

Simpkins: 119, 146, 147, 158, 267 

Simpson: 215 

Sims: 128, 216, 218 

Skinner: 221 

Slade: 177, 228 

Slater: 247 

Slaughter: 181, 216 

Slay: 135, 172 

Sloan: 65, 74, 170, 175, 227, 235 
Sluglin: 33 

Smith: 24, 37, 42, 61, 64, 65, 66, 67, 
81, 82, 107, 108, 110, 152, 175, 
177, 193, 198, 213, 214, 215, 217, 
218, 234, 245, 252, 254 
Smithey: 110 

Sneed: 173, 175, 180 
Soape: 249, 250 

Solomon: 165 
Southworth: 199 

Sowell: 141, 216 
Sparks: 30, 33, 34, 268 
Spear: 179 
Speight: 110 
Spence: 109, 150 
Spencer: 228 

Spivey: 199 

Spivis: 188 
Spurger: 213 
Staley: 177 
Stanley: 234 

Starley: 152, 169 
Steele: 13, 27 
Steely: 141 
Stenhaur: 126 


Stephens: 153 
Stepp: 249 

Steppe: 207 

Stevens: 175 
Stewart: 107, 244, 249 
Stiteler: 153, 164, 266 

Stockard: 182 
Stockman: 141 

Stockton: 213 
Stokes: 24, 65, 74, 126, 188 
Stone: 158, 246 
Storey: 138, 249, 256 
Story: 71, 139, 160, 237, 248, 250, 
253, 254, 256, 275 
Stout: 71, 158 
Stover: 237 

Strain: 218 
Streety: 150 
Stringer: 110 
Stroder: 245 

Stroube: 134, 179 
Stroud: 134, 188, 190, 272 
Strupper: 139, 152, 153 
Stucker: 13 
Suggs: 141, 212 
Sullenberger: 186 

Sullivan: 119, 273 
Sutherland: 24, 139 
Suttle: 170, 171, 175 

Swearingen: 237 

Sweatmon : 150, 232, 233 

Swingle: 161 
Swink: 207 

Swisher: 116, 119 

T 

Taber: 223 

Tadlock: 190 

Talley: 109, 138, 149, 213 
Tankersly: 205 

Tarrant: 61, 63, 64, 71 
Tarver: 144, 152, 158 
Tate: 149, 170 
Tatum: 83, 177, 245, 248, 277 
Taylor: 65. 142, 158, 159, 163, 169, 
216, 218, 219, 234, 271, 277 
Tgrs * 273 

Templeton: 108, 161, 177, 188 

Terrell: 108 

Terry: 190, 247 

Thomas: 37, 110, 245 

Thomason: 188 

Thomison: 189 

Thompson: 136 

Thomson: 249 

Thornell: 219 

Thorp: 197 

Tickle: 220, 221 

Tilley: 159 

Tillman: 209 

Tilton: 249 

Tinkle: 242 

Todd: 228 

Towers: 109 

Towns: 230, 231 

Townsend: 127, 130, 131, 138, 177, 
268 


Tramel: 205 

Traylor: 71, 159 

Treadwell: 28, 108, 158, 182, 183 

Trent: 81 

Trescott: 267 

Trimmier: 37 

Tubb: 175 

Tucker: 185, 207, 235 
Tullos: 216 
Tully: 126 
Turner: 216 
Turpin: 108 
Tyus: 212 

U 

Urbin: 227 

Upchurch: 159 
Utzman: 107 

V 

Vance: 152 
Van de Water: 242 
Van Hook: 85 
Van Horn: 81, 143, 144 
Van Metre: 77 
Varnell: 180, 211, 219 

Vaughn: 163, 165 
Vining: 163 
Vinson: 141 

Violet: 37, 42, 43, 44, 45, 51, 56, 58 
Vlaux: 165 

W 

Waddell: 216 
Waddill: 165 

Wade: 175, 198 
Wager: 165 
Wagley: 169 
Wagner: 149 

Walker: 71, 108, 109, 167, 175, 178, 
198, 209, 213, 214, 223, 243 
Wallace: 221, 284 
Walton: 140, 179, 238, 255, 265 
Wantland: 66, 102 
Ward: 63. 161, 200, 207, 223, 224, 
225, 230 

Ware: 204, 232, 249 
Warren: 230, 231 

Washburn: 212 
Wassell: 159 

Wasson: 141, 228 
Waters: 141, 212, 234 
Watson: 219, 220 
Way: 13, 216, 242 
Wayne: 163 
Weaver: 211, 215, 234 
Weden: 213 

Weeks: 234 

Weil: 108 

Welch: 108, 179, 185, 188 
Wells: 144 
West: 28 


Westbrook: 108, 110, 198, 210 
Westmoreland: 180, 214 

WhplAv * 21 ^ 

Wheeler: 37, 81, 147, 150, 158 
Wheelock: 134, 135 
Whippey: 146 

White: 28, 63, 65, 74, 81, 119, 139, 
142, 158, 160, 216, 235, 249, 255, 
258, 262 

Whitehurst: 165 

Whiteselle: 119, 135, 177, 266, 270 

Whiting: 194 

Whorton: 209, 213 

Wickens: 165 

Wickersheimer: 139 

Wiggins: 141 

Wilburn: 72, 73 

Wilemon: 213 

Wilkes: 167, 215 

Wilkinson: 182 

Williams: 136, 163, 179, 182, 199, 
209, 219, 221, 229, 242, 246 
Williamson: 150, 175, 216, 248 
Willie: 159 
Willis: 216, 234, 242 
Wills: 173, 174, 175, 243 
Wilson: 74, 111, 141, 152, 177, 203, 
211 

Winburn: 188 
Winch: 150 

Winkler: 61, 106, 107, 118, 139, 142, 
144, 145, 150, 152, 157, 232, 253, 
254, 259. 

Witherspoon: 156, 170, 197 
Wofford: 144 
Wolens: 179, 273 
Wolf: 216 

Wood: 72, 81, 119, 149, 150, 265, 266 

Woodard: 220 

Woodring: 13 

Woodruff: 219 

Woods: 128, 158, 159, 176 

Woodward: 234 

Wooten: 170 

Worsham: 175, 216 

Wortham: 137, 147, 178 

Worthington: 172 

Wright: 28, 71. 109, 165, 183, 214. 

219, 232 
Wyatt: 221 

Wybrant: 84 
Wyrick: 188, 214 

Y 

Young: 26, 63, 66, 71, 188, 189, 209. 

214, 237, 253 
Younger: 183 

Z 

Zachary: 111 

Zadek: 81 




















































































































